Save The World, Lose The Guy
by Deadly monkey with a Flame
Summary: Alex Rider has a new mission with two gorgeous girls, Camryn Albright and Georgina Thomas. What happens when both girls fall for him and he can't decide? Which girl will get the guy? Will the girls be able to put their differences aside to save the world?
1. One Supposedly Normal Day

**Disclaimer for all chapters **– We do not own Alex Rider or any of the other characters from the books and film.

Save The World, Lose The Guy – Created by Deadly Monkey With A Flame (a combination of the writers "Deadly Flame" and "Monkey with a pen."

Chapter 1 - One supposedly normal day

Alex Rider walked out of school with his best friend, Tom Harris. He was so excited to be out of school for the summer. Alex unbuttoned the top two buttons of his white shirt and loosened the scarlet tie around his neck. He unchained his bicycle from the bicycle shed behind the school and pedalled home with Tom.

"There's a football match later at the school. I'm playing. Do you want to?" Tom asked.

"Sure. Who are we playing?"

"The girls' team."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. They think they can beat us. They said that they have a new girl who's pretty incredible."

Alex laughed. When he was nearing his house, he passed a house where a brown-haired girl was practicing bouncing a football on her toes and knees in the front yard. The girl looked up and caught Alex's gaze. She smiled at him and went back to practicing. Alex nearly lost his balance on his bike.

"Who's that?" Tom asked.

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen her before."

"She's hot."

Alex smiled and shook his head. Five minutes later, he arrived home and hopped off his bike. He waved to Tom who continued pedalling down the road. Alex went into his house and dropped his backpack in the living room.

"Hey, Jack," Alex called.

"Hi, Alex. How was your last day?"

"It was good. I'm going to play football with Tom and the other guys later."

"Great. There's a letter for you. It's on the coffee table."

Alex picked up the envelope and tore it open. He unfolded the letter and skimmed over it. He frowned. It was from John Crawley. He worked for the Royal and General Bank, which was just a cover for MI6.

"I have to go see Mr. Crawley," Alex told Jack Starbright as she walked into the living room.

"Why?"

Alex shrugged. "They probably have another mission for me."

Jack sighed. "Why won't they leave you alone? Oh well, come on. I'll drive you."

"It's okay, Jack. Don't worry about it. I'll take the tube." Alex walked out of his house to the train station and boarded the next train to Liverpool Street. Once he arrived, he entered the Royal and General Bank.

"Mr. Crawley wanted to see me," Alex told the receptionist.

Just then, Mr. Crawley walked into the lobby. "Hello, Alex. Please come with me. Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones are waiting in the conference room."

When Alex stepped into the conference room, Alan Blunt and Tulip Jones sat side by side at the oblong table. There was a girl about Alex's age standing in the corner with her back against the wall. She was slouching a bit and had her hands dug into her pockets. One word came to Alex's mind: _sexy._

"This is Georgina Thomas," Mrs. Jones said.

Georgina looked up, and her dazzling emerald green eyes transfixed on Alex. She was beautiful with dark blonde hair that was naturally highlighted with blonde streaks that shone in the light. She smiled at Alex, and he felt his knees go weak. Georgina had to be one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. As Alex watched, she stood up straight. She was shorter then he was, standing just above his shoulders. Georgina was slim and wearing a dark purple top that clung to her well-defined body.

"Um…hi, Georgina," Alex said, offering his hand to the girl; she smiled again and shook it, her hand fitting perfectly into his.

"Hey, Alex, nice to meet you, and call me George, please."

"Well, now that introductions have been made, down to business," Mr. Blunt said in his usual bored tone. "Alex, Georgina is your new partner."

"Partner?" Alex questioned.

"Well, weren't you the one storming into my office last month, ranting about how much you hated working alone?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Good. You scared me there for a moment. I thought I was having a senior moment."

Alex raised his eyebrow. Was Mr. Blunt _trying_ to be funny? If so, it wasn't working.

"Anyway," Mrs. Jones cut in. "I've already spoken to Jack about Georgina staying with you for a while."

"She's going to be living in my house?"

"You need to get to know each other."

Alex blushed, but felt happy. This day could only get better. It was the last day of school for one. Then he had seen two hot girls within half an hour, and one of them was going to live with him for a while. For the first time in his life, he felt like James Bond.

* * *

Alex sat down on the grass and stretched his legs. He smiled to himself. It felt nice to be a normal kid.

"I wonder if I can get some phone numbers," Tom mused.

Alex ignored him. He scanned the crowd of girls for that brunette he had seen on the way home. He was hoping that she was the new girl Tom had mentioned. A few minutes later, the team captains walked out of the field and shook hands. The players huddled around their captains.

"Alright," Oliver, the team captain, said. "I don't care who covers who, but Rider gets the new girl."

"Why Rider?" Michael complained.

"He's the best player we have. We're not losing to the girls' team."

"I thought this was just for fun," Tom said.

"Yeah, but I made a deal with Amy. If we lose, I have to take her out on a date."

The boys cracked up.

"I think I want to lose on purpose," Alex laughed.

"I'll kick you off the team, Rider."

The players took their positions on the field. The "referee" flipped a coin – boys had possession of the ball first. The "referee" blew the whistle and the match began. Oliver passed the ball to Alex. Alex passed to Tom. Tom passed to Jared. Jared back to Oliver. Oliver back to Alex again. Alex trapped the ball and went for the goal. His shot was blocked by the goalie. The goalie punted the ball down the field. A brunette girl jumped out above the crowd and trapped the ball on her thighs. She dribbled the ball down the field, passed it to a blonde girl and ran toward the goal. Alex recognized the give-and-go strategy. He also recognized the girl as the one he had seen on the way home. He caught up to her to block the pass. The next thing he knew, the ball was flying past him into the goal. The brunette stood beside him grinning. Alex was in disbelief. This new girl really was incredible.

"Nice shot," Alex said to her.

"Thanks," the girl said brightly in a distinct American accent.

"Did you just move here?"

"Yeah. I just transferred from New York."

"That's cool. Oh, by the way, I'm Alex. Alex Rider."

"Camryn Albright."

Suddenly, Alex saw George sitting on the bleachers watching the match. He smiled and waved to her. She smiled and waved back.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Camryn asked.

"Huh? No, just a friend."

"She's cute. You should ask her out." Camryn headed off down the field toward her team. Alex was left dumbfounded.

_What the hell…? _He thought.


	2. Strange Girl

**sorry it took so long to get the second chapter up. monkeywithapen has been a bit lazy lol and working on an eragon fic  
**

* * *

The match ended, the boys had been defeated by one goal, and Oliver was visibly fuming as Amy asked him where he was taking her on their date. Alex couldn't help smiling. The sun was still shinning, the match had been close, and he'd had a laugh. He jogged over to the bleachers where George stood waiting.

"Nice match," she tried not the laugh, "it's still a nice evening. Fancy going for a walk and showing me around?"

"Yeah sure I'll just go change, be back in five." George watched as Alex jogged over to the brick building that was the changing rooms, she sat down on the grass and watched the people around her, she felt lonely, she knew no one here but Alex and she barely knew him. _What am I doing here? _she thought but before George could properly contemplate this question Alex reappeared he held out his hand and she allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"So where are you taking me?" George asked as they walked through the school gates.

"Don't know really, just wander around, they're a nice park a few minutes away that has a cute café in the center, fancy getting a drink?" Alex asked liking the looks George was getting from guys passing by, most of which he knew. They smirked at him and put their thumbs up. Once again Alex felt like a normal teenage boy.

"Yeah that sounds good."

Alex and George walked in mostly silence to the park and Café. They began talking when they were sitting on a bench sipping cokes. Alex found out that George was fourteen and that she lived in Bristol, she had been dragged into MI6's world through blackmail much like Alex. George didn't go into much detail just said that her mother had worked for MI6, she had been killed, and then George was sent to go after her killers. Alex told George his story. She listened intently as Alex told her about his parents dying when he was young and being brought up by his Uncle Ian and his housekeeper, Jack Starbright. He told her how Ian was hardly ever around and how he thought Ian had worked for a bank but on the arrival of his death found out a much different story. Ian had been MI6's top agent, and when he was killed, much like George, Alex had been recruited to take his place. An hour or so later they began walking back through the now dark park and to Alex's house. Jack wasn't there when they arrived. There was a note saying she had gone out with some friends.

"There are fresh towels in the bathroom and the spare room is made up

for you." Alex said reading over the note.

"Thanks, I'm going to go have a shower in a minuet if that's okay?"

Alex nodded.

They walked into the living room and sat down, that feeling of normality that so many people take for granted once again rushing over Alex.

"That girl you were covering was really good," George said out of the blue.

"Yeah, she's new – just moved from America," Alex replied a little confused as to why she had brought Camryn up.

"She's cute, you should ask her out." George said, echoing Camryn, she got up and left the room.

_What the hell . . .?_ Alex thought.

* * *

Camryn pulled a brush through her wet hair. She began thinking about Alex Rider from the soccer game. He reminded her so much of Daniel Walker, her ex-boyfriend. Thinking about Dan suddenly made Camryn sad. He hadn't even come to the airport to see her off. Camryn sat on her bed and turned on her radio. Then she remembered that girl Alex had waved to. She was gorgeous – there was no competition. If Alex had his eyes on that girl, Camryn could just forget about him. Then the phone rang, snapping Camryn out of her thoughts. Her uncle, Jon, picked it up. 

"Hello? Yes, just a moment." There was a knock on the door. Uncle Jon poked his head inside. "It's for you Cami."

Camryn walked over to him and took the phone. "Hello?"

"Agent Albright," said a flat, boring voice. "I need to see you at headquarters as soon as possible. We've got an assignment for you."

"What is it?"

"Mrs. Jones and I will brief you when you come in."

"Sure. I'll be there in…" Camryn looked the clock on her desk. "…ten minutes." Camryn hung up the phone and grabbed her sandals from the closet. She headed out the door and hopped onto her bicycle. She almost didn't want to go to the MI6 headquarters. Mr. Blunt was such a boring man that Camryn felt like she would die of boredom if she was in his presence for more than thirty seconds. Once she arrived at the Royal & General Bank, she propped her bike up against the wall outside and walked in. She showed the receptionist her CIA ID badge. Mr. Crawley came into the lobby.

"Agent Albright," he greeted. "Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones are waiting."

Camryn followed Mr. Crawley into the conference room. A gray man sat in one chair and a lady sucking on a peppermint sat beside him.

"So, what's up?" Camryn asked casually.

Mr. Blunt raised his eyebrow at her. "We have an assignment for you."

"Yeah, you told me that."

"We have two of our agents going into a very dangerous mission," Mrs. Jones said, taking over. "We want you in on this mission as well. We want you to watch over our two agents and make sure that everything runs smoothly."

"Wait a minute, you want me to baby-sit your agents who are old enough to be my parents?"

"No. We have two teenage spies. One is fourteen and the other is fifteen."

Camryn laughed. "You've got to be joking. I've been on a sniper team for the CIA for eight months. I've led tact teams in the field. Three months ago, I led an assault team and two delta teams on the Russian consulate to arrest terrorists dealing nuclear weapons. Babysitting is something I do for a neighbor, not the government."

"This isn't a babysitting job. Our teenage spies are inexperienced. They haven't seen as much as you have. You're going to lead them in this mission."

Camryn sighed. This was going to be hell. "Okay, so what's the mission?"

"It involves the Russians. Former KGB agents have been seen meeting together. We don't know why, but it looks strange."

"So what if a bunch of communists want to meet up with their old buddies?"

"They aren't meeting out in the open in bars or cafes or restaurants. They're meeting at each other's houses, abandoned warehouses, and other areas of private property," Mr. Blunt said.

"So, you think something is up, and you want a bunch of teenagers to check it out," Camryn confirmed.

"Yes."

"Why a bunch of kids?"

"You're the last thing anyone expects. One of the former KGB agents that we've been keeping our eye on is a school teacher."

"Aren't school supposed to do background checks on people before hiring them?"

"Yes," Mrs. Jones answered. "But he has done a polygraph, and the government has decided that it would be alright."

"Or he paid them off," Camryn said.

"Could be," Mr. Blunt cut in. "Russia can be very corrupt these days. One can buy his way around Russia easily."

"Well, it's summer vacation now. This guy isn't going to be teaching in a school unless it's a boarding school."

"Well, there is a summer program for students from all over the world who are interested in nuclear science."

"So this communist dude is working with the program?"

"He _runs_ the program," Mrs. Jones said.

"So, it's pretty much a communist-science-nerd summer camp."

"I guess you could call it that."

Camryn rolled her eyes. "Sounds like fun. So now I can come home from camp and say, 'I learned how to blow up countries with science!'"

"Um, yes…" Mr. Blunt muttered. "Well, we want you back here tomorrow morning at ten. You will have the chance to meet our two agents with whom you will be working."

"Okay!" Camryn said with fake enthusiasm, a corny smile, and a more than cheesy thumbs-up. She left the building, mounted her bicycle, and headed back to her house.

"Strange, that one," Mrs. Jones mused.

"Well, she _is_ American."

"Why didn't the CIA give us Daniel Walker? I met him when he was sent to London a few months ago. He's very serious about the job, and he's a very good agent."

"The CIA claim that Camryn Albright is the best they have. We'll just have to trust that the CIA know what they're doing."

"I hope so."


	3. Promiscuous

**Alex is such a player lol**

* * *

George woke up early the next morning. The light was filtering through a crack in the curtains and falling directly on her pillows and across her eyes. She hadn't slept well. Images of Alex had kept floating through her dreams and worries about their new mission that she knew nothing about. She sat up, yawned and rubbed her eyes then threw back the covers and slipped out of the large double bed. She walked over to the curtains and pulled them open fully the light blinded her. The sun had not finished its morning rise so it was directly level with her eyes. She turned her back to the window and stumbled sleepily across the room and to the door, trying desperately to get her bearings in the strange house. George made her way downstairs, her throat was dry so she intended on getting a glass of water. She padded barefoot across the tiled kitchen floor and over to the sink. A voice behind her made her jump.

"Morning." George turned around. Alex sat in loose-fitting joggers at the small wooden table in the corner of the room. She looked down at herself, in tiny shorts and a tiny strap top, suddenly she felt very self conscious.

"Hi, Alex," she managed to say; she leaned against the work surface and folded her arms across her chest, realizing just how much she was revealing. Alex smiled. He thought it was cute how she was so embarrassed. Alex couldn't help but realized how good she looked, bleary eyed and barely covered. Alex gestured to a jug of water on the table with glasses beside it on the table. George smiled and slid into the seat opposite him. She poured herself a glass and looked at him.

"What are you staring at?" she asked, taking in his well-defined six-pack.

Alex shook his head. "Nothing. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," George lied. "Heard from our friends at Liverpool Street?"

"No. Fancy going for a walk into town?" Alex wanted to be seen walking around with George again.

"Yeah, that sounds cool."

* * *

It was half past nine. Alex knocked on the spare room door. "George, you ready?" he called. 

"Yeah. Can you come in a sec? I need a hand," her voice replied. Alex pushed the door open. He saw George. She stood in front of the full-length mirror. She had on jeans and a red halter neck to that she was struggling to tie up around her neck.

"Could you?" she asked Alex holding the ends of the ties. Alex nodded and walked over to her. She held up her hair and put her other hand across her chest to stop the top from falling down. Alex didn't know why, but his hands were shaking as he tied the red material into a bow.

"Thanks," George said as she turned around so she was facing him. Suddenly, Alex found himself looking straight into her deep green eyes. His hands went to her cheeks and he felt himself moving closer to her. He could feel her soft breath on his face. He moved one of his hands to her waist and brought her whole body close to his, their lips constantly getting closer. Alex closed his eyes and pressed his lips onto hers, he felt George's arms circle around his neck. He was about to deepen the kiss when his phone rang. The couple sprang apart as if burned. Alex cursed and pulled the phone shakily from his pocket. As he rose it to his ear, he looked at George. She was avoiding his gaze and looking at the floor, breathing deeply and blushing and biting down on her bottom lip.

"Mr. Rider?" Alex's racing heart sank.

"Yes, Mr. Crawley," he replied. George's shoulders dropped as she heard the name.

"We would like you and Miss Thomas at the office as soon as you can get here," the monotonic voice droned.

"Okay." Alex put the phone down and looked at George. She was still biting down on her lip and was now nervously twirling a strand of her hair around a finger.

"We have to get to the office," Alex told her. George nodded, still avoiding his eyes. She grabbed a thin, black jacket and followed Alex out of the room. When they arrived at Liverpool Street, the walked into the Royal & General Bank. Mr. Crawley met them in the lobby and led them to the conference room. Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones sat side by side as usual.

"Have a seat," Mrs. Jones said.

Alex and George obeyed. Everyone was silent.

"Are we waiting for someone?" Alex asked.

"Yes. She's a bit late. She should be here soon."

Just then, the door opened. "Sorry I'm late."

"These meetings are important," Mr. Blunt said. "Try to get here on time."

"Bite me."

Alex turned around. Camryn Albright walked into the room in light jeans and a white T-shirt. Her sandals flopped on the linoleum floor as she walked in.

"Camryn?"

"Alex?"

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked.

"What are _you _doing here?" Camryn asked back.

"I asked first."

Camryn contemplated the situation. Maybe this mission wouldn't turn out so bad after all. Hey, what could be better than going to nerd camp with a hot British boy? But then there was that girl.

"Hi, I don't think we've met yet," Camryn said, holding her hand out to George. "I'm Camryn Albright. I'm here as a liaison from the CIA."

"Georgina Thomas," George said, accepting Camryn's firm, American handshake. "You can just call me George."

"Cool." Camryn stood behind a chair and leaned her forearms on the back of it rather than sitting down like everyone else.

Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones gave Alex and George the rundown of the mission. Once they finished, Mrs. Jones started talking about their cover.

"George and Camryn are going to pose as sisters. Camryn is the older sister at fifteen. George is the younger at fourteen. Alex is going to pose as a friend of the Robinson sisters. Camryn, you are Kelsey Robinson. George, you are Kimberly Robinson. Alex, you are Nathan Overmiller. We'll need to make a slight adjustment to George's appearance."

"What kind of adjustment?" George asked suspiciously.

"We're going to dye your hair brown."

"Why can't we dye Camryn's hair?"

"I already got stuck with colored contacts," Camryn said.

George sighed. Well the dye would fade eventually. "Okay." Mrs. Jones stood up and led George out of the room.

"Why don't you two get to know each other?" Mr. Blunt suggested. "Become buddies or whatever."

Mr. Blunt stood up and left the conference room.

"This is crazy," Alex said. "I had no idea you were a spy. I thought you were just a normal girl."

"I can say the same about you except for the girl part. I thought you were just a hot British soccer boy."

Alex blushed. He couldn't help but to crack a smile at her boldness.

"So…uh…how old are you?" Alex asked.

"Fifteen."

"I'm fifteen."

"So what do you do around here?" Camryn asked.

"You mean for MI6? I'm a secret agent."

"Ooh, mystery man, huh? James Bond kinda guy?"

Alex chuckled. "Not quiet. What do you do for the CIA?"

"I'm also a secret agent. I did some undercover work when I started out. Then my superiors placed me on a sniper team. I've been running covert missions, assault teams, stuff like that for a while now."

Alex decided that Camryn had to be an extremely experienced agent. "What are you doing here in England?"

"The CIA sent me here as a liaison to MI6. I'm leading this mission in Russia."

"So you're sort of in charge of George and me?"

"Sure, I guess you can say that."

Alex couldn't take his fixated gaze away from Camryn. Camryn turned her gaze to the fair-haired English boy. Their eyes met and caught each other's gaze for a moment.

"What?" Camryn asked.

"What what?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why are _you_ looking at _me_ like that?"

"I asked first," Camryn said.

Alex shrugged. "No reason. You?"

Camryn tapped her chin and gave Alex a skeptical look. "I was just wondering what it'd be like to kiss a British boy. You just happen to be the only one around at the moment."

Alex smiled. "Want to find out?"

"Hm…" Camryn mused. "Let me think about it."

"What's there to think about?" Alex was just dying to kiss her. His curiosity was overflowing.

"That's true." Camryn leaned down toward Alex and gave him a light, experimental kiss on his lips.

"You like?" Alex asked.

"Yes, very much." Camryn kissed him again, fully this time. Then the phone sitting on the table of the conference room rang. Camryn grabbed it and answered it. The voice on the other line was Mr. Blunt's. He was calm and boring as usual, but his words made Camryn shudder. Camryn quickly hung up and grabbed her SigSauer 9mm pistol from the waistband of her jeans. Alex stood up and followed Camryn slowly out of the room. He began to wonder where she had hidden her gun. He hadn't seen it.


	4. Intruders

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

"Someone broke into headquarters."

Gunfire erupted across the hall. Camryn whipped around and fired back in the direction of the gunfire. She hit the hostile in the shoulder of his gun arm. He dropped his gun and scrambled for the nearest exit. Just then, George stepped out into the hall. Her hair was dripping wet and still blonde. A security guard made a move toward the hostile but was too slow. George grabbed the guard's gun and fired at the hostile attempting to escape out the fifth story window. Her bullet struck his leg, causing him to collapse onto the gray linoleum floor. Camryn rushed to the hostile and propped him up against the wall. George tossed the gun aside, and she and Alex ran over to her.

"Who are you?" Camryn demanded. "Who sent you?"

"What are you doing here at MI6?" the hostile said, half laughing. There was a thick Russian accent in his voice. "You're just a child."

Camryn pressed the bottom of her sandal into the wound in the man's leg. The man howled in pain. Alex and George stood back, slightly frightened.

"I'll be asking the questions. Got it?" Camryn growled. "Now, tell me who sent you."

"Stupid child."

Camryn knelt down so that she was level with the man. "Listen, I can cause you more pain than you can ever imagine. I think it'd be best for you to cooperate."

The man just laughed. There was no way this kid could be serious. Camryn grabbed the man's wrist and forced his hand against the wall. She pressed the muzzle of her gun into his palm.

"You have three seconds to tell me who sent you."

"One…two…" the man taunted.

"Three." Camryn fired a bullet through his hand. The Russian cried and screamed out in pain. "Get it now? I'm serious."

The Russian hostile glared at her, refusing to speak.

"Alex, give me your shirt," Camryn commanded.

"Why?" Alex asked warily.

"Just do it."

"But why?"

"Either you take off your shirt, or I have to take off my shirt. I vote you, and there's no veto option."

Alex pulled off his T-shirt and threw it to Camryn. Camryn folded it up and pressed it over the Russian man's mouth. She clamped his nose shut with her fingers and waited for his lungs to run out of oxygen. George trembled as she watched Camryn torture the hostile. She ran forward and grabbed Camryn's hand. She yanked it away from the Russian's mouth so he could breathe.

"What are you doing?!" Camryn yelled at her.

"You're going to kill him!"

"I'm not killing him. It's a thing called interrogation."

"That's not interrogation! That's torture!"

Camryn turned back to her interrogation victim. "Naïve…" she muttered under her breath. She grabbed the back of the hostile's shirt and dragged him across the linoleum floor toward the elevator.

"Take him to holding for interrogation," she commanded a security guard. Then she hit the down button on the next elevator.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked.

"Doesn't matter. Make sure you get your plane tickets and the forms for the science program from Mr. Blunt or Mrs. Jones before you leave. We leave for Russia tomorrow morning."

The elevator opened and Camryn stepped inside. Alex watched as she disappeared behind the elevator doors.

"I should finish dying my hair," George muttered awkwardly. She left Alex alone in the hallway to contemplate what had just happened. He had a bad feeling that this was just the beginning of the clash between Camryn and George.

* * *

George walked back into the room she had come from. Mrs. Jones wasn't there; this was strange. She had been there before the disturbance outside. George shut the door slowly. What had that Camryn girl been playing at? She could have killed that man. George was shaking her head at the door when she was pushed roughly against it.

"Don't move," a gruff voice commanded. "What happened outside?"

"Your mate was shot, and if I were you, I would seriously rethink pinning me against the door if you don't want to end up the same way."

The voice laughed harshly in her ear, sending shivers up and down her spine.

"You're nothing but a child. What do you plan on doing?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" George growled through gritted teeth.

"Bring it, bitch." The hostile spat the final word. George took a deep breath and tensed. She jerked her foot back into her attacker's knee as hard as she could, receiving a howl of pain and causing the intruder to stumble backwards and to release her. George spun around. The hostile was male, mid-twenties, wore a ski mask over his face, showing menacing eyes that bore down on George.

"You can kick. So what? I'm going to show the government just why they shouldn't have kids running around the place doing adult business."

George cocked her eyebrow and crunched her knuckles. The man cricked his neck, then advanced. George blocked a punch and slammed her knee into the man's stomach. Then she kicked out with her foot to get him in the crotch too. The pan growled in pain and grabbed hold of George's wrist, using it to pull her arm painfully into an unnatural position. He pulled out a gun and threw off the safety catch. George reminded herself to keep her cool. She had been in worse situations and came out alive – this would be no different. With her free arm, she attempted to punch her attacker. When this didn't work, she kicked him in the crotch again, but harder this time. The man let go of her arm and gripped the trigger tightly. George sprang to her feet and roundhouse kicked the man's hand, knocking the gun out of his grip. The gun spiraled through the air, hit the wall, and clunked onto the floor. George and the man looked at each other challengingly, then both made a dive for the gun. A single gunshot resounded.

* * *

The plane ride had gone smoothly. Now the three teenagers waited in the airport in Moscow for a man named Pavel Uborevich. He was the one who would drive them to the International Youth Nuclear Science camp in Seversk. Alex and George sat restlessly in their seats. Alex constantly wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. George tapped her fingernails on the armrest of the chair. She contemplated telling Camryn and Alex about the second intruder she had killed. Maybe later… Camryn sat quietly and calmly behind Alex and George. She scanned the crowd for Pavel Uborevich. She finally found him walking casually toward the three teenagers. She could sense George and Alex tensing as they spotted him.

"Just relax," Camryn said quietly. She stood up and greeted Uborevich. George and Alex stood up behind her.

"Hello," Uborevich said in his heavy Russian accent. "I hope you fine youths are doing well today."

"Thank you," Camryn replied in a perfect British accent. "And how are you, Mr. Uborevich."

"Well, thank you, my dear."

"I'm Kelsey Robinson. This is my younger sister, Kimberly Robinson. And this is our friend Nathan Overmiller."

Uborevich shook hands with the three teenagers. "Well, without any further delay, we will be off. Come with me."

Alex, George, and Camryn followed Uborevich out of the airport and into his SUV. They sat in silence as Uborevich drove to a train station and boarded the train to Seversk. By that night, they arrived at the camp. Alex stared at the barracks in front of him. What kind of a camp was this?

"I know the barracks look a little rundown, but they only look like that. You'll like it better when you see the inside."


	5. Creep

Alex looked across at George as they stood outside of the barracks. He was concerned; she hadn't spoken much since the incident with the intruder in the corridor, and she refused to catch his gaze. Suddenly, Alex felt himself growing very protective over her. He didn't know how experienced or inexperienced George really was. He couldn't believe he had agreed to bring her on this mission. How would he feel if she got hurt, and he couldn't help her? Camryn seemed able to handle herself, but Alex couldn't shake the protective feeling he now had over George. He made a silent vow to protect her as well as he could.

"We do not normally have girls and boys in the same barrack building – or dormitory, I should say – but seeing as you three were last minute candidates for our program, there was only one remaining double room and one single room. They are next to each other. This will be okay?" Uborevich asked as he led them towards the furthest building. Alex smiled to himself. This was going to be easier than the thought.

"This is fine, Mr. Uborevich," George spoke properly for the first time. "We really appreciate that you took us all in at such a late date. It means so much to us." George smiled sweetly at the man, batting her eyelashes.

"We're very happy to accommodate you, Miss Robinson," Uborevich said, smiling creepily. George giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Miss Robinson? Please, Mr. Uborevich, call me Kimberly or Kimmie."

Uborevich laughed.

Camryn looked at Alex with raised eyebrows. She had to admit that George was a good actress. Uborevich was horribly creepy, but she had him eating out of the palm of her hand.

Uborevich turned his back to the group and began rifling through a large bunch of keys in order to find the right one to their rooms. George made puking actions behind his back and grimaced. Camryn fought to stifle a laugh. Uborevich turned back to them and Camryn was worried that he had seen George's actions, but George's grimace instantly became a cute smile.

"Do you need any help with the keys?" she asked in a voice much younger than her own.

Camryn and George entered the room once Uborevich opened it, and then they closed the door. They took one look at each other then fell about laughing.

"How did you do that without vomiting?" Camryn asked, astonished.

George shrugged. "I've learned through experience that guys are very easy to control."

Suddenly the door opened. Both girls turned to see Uborevich standing in the doorway, staring at them.

"Is everything okay, girls?" he asked. "I heard quite a bit of ruckus in here."

"Yes, Mr. Uborevich," the two girls chorused. They tried hard not to burst into another fit of giggles.

"What were you laughing at? Is there something wrong with the room?"

"No, no, silly," George said in the young voice again. "We're sisters; we laugh at everything."

Uborevich took this for a satisfactory answer and left the room, but not before very obviously eyeing George up.

"Okay, now I really may throw up," George said as the door shut. She shuddered. "Whoa, check out this room!"

Their room was everything George and Camryn had not expected. Instead of looking like an army barrack, it looked like the penthouse of a five-star hotel. It was _huge_ with two queen-sized four-poster beds that had deep purple covers and matching hangings. There was a large crème sofa and two armchairs. A glass coffee table and a wide screen TV. There was a sparkling kitchenette. A door between the two beds led to separate bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes.

"Hmm, I wonder where this door leads," Camryn pondered as she found another door to the right of the TV.

"Let's open it and see," George said, shrugging and opening the door. "Oh, hey, Al – Nathan."

Camryn burst out laughing, and George stood giggling in the doorway.

"Whoa! A connecting door!" George laughed. With that she and Camryn were off into another fit of hysterics.

Alex stood in the middle of his room, which was pretty much the same as the girls', but half the size with only one bed that had blue covers and hangings and one bathroom and walk-in wardrobe.

_When did they get so chummy?_ Alex thought to himself, but then figured that it was probably a good thing.

"Uh, you two okay? Oh, and by the way, I've checked my room for bugs – none. Have you checked yours?" he asked. Camryn and George looked at the floor.

"We were too busy jumping on the beds," Camryn admitted, stifling another laugh. "I'll check now." She began examining the room.

That left Alex and George staring at each other in another awkward silence.

"Be careful with Uborevich," Alex found himself saying.

George smiled. "I know what I'm doing, but thanks for the concern. We should get some sleep. It's late, and I have the feeling we have a busy day tomorrow. And I need to figure out the best ways to seduce a forty-year-old Russian man."

Alex's eyes widened.

"Don't worry, Alex. I'm only going to flirt a bit. We need him on our side. It's not like I'm going to sleep with him or anything."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, sorry. Um…night then."

"Night, Alex," Camryn called as George shut the connecting door.

George dug out a pair of shorts and a tank top and went into the bathroom to change. When she came back into the bedroom, Camryn had already changed into shorts and a T-shirt and was sitting on one bed. George sat on the other bed and faced Camryn.

"So, do you have any ideas on how to deal with Uborevich?" George asked.

Camryn chuckled. "Yeah – a miniskirt and a bottle of vodka."

George laughed. "You never know, it just might work."

The two girls told stories back and forth about how they became spies and their lives as spies. They talked until the night grew old. George finally turned over and fell asleep. Camryn lay back and stared up at the ceiling. She sighed, hoping everything would go smoothly. She decided that she had to protect George and Alex – no matter the cost.

* * *

Uborevich sat in the staff lounge with is feet propped up on the table. He tapped his fingers on a beer bottle that sat on the table beside his feet. Across the table sat another man. He was an expert on nuclear science. His name was Edik Dakhov.

"What do you think of the three newcomers?" Uborevich asked.

"You mean the two sisters and the boy?"

"Yes."

"Actually, Pavel, I was wondering what you think of them. I see you have your eye on the younger sister. What is her name again?"

"Kimberly Robinson."

Dakhov laughed. "If I were you, I would keep my eyes on the older sister."

"Kelsey?"

"That's the one. You don't see a girl like _that_ everyday."

"Yes, but there's something about her. She has this look in her eyes… She's too mature. She's too smart. Kimberly is equally attractive but probably easier."

The two men laughed. Dakhov staggered to his feet and chugged down the rest of his beer.

"Just make sure you aren't caught, my friend," he warned before stumbling out of the lounge, leaving Uborevich alone with his beer. The middle-aged Russian chuckled at his own thoughts as his mind wandered to the sleeping Kimberly Robinson.


	6. Silence Is Never Good

Alex didn't sleep well. He tossed and turned all night. When he finally did manage to fall asleep, a loud banging on the connecting door woke him. He mumbled to himself as he made his way to the door. He yanked it open to find a wide-eyed, perfectly awake Camryn.

"Get in here, Alex," she said. She grabbed his arm and pulled him through the door. Alex sat down on the sofa next to George who looked a little less awake than Camryn but still a lot better than Alex himself.

"Cam, it's half past five, why am I awake?" Alex asked grumpily.

"We need to make a plan," Camryn said, perching on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "Okay, so it's obvious that our buddy Pavel Uborevich has a thing for George, so George will keeping sucking up to the loon. Also, George, see if you can get some connections to the other teachers and see if any of them take to you like Uborevich does."

George nodded and made a mock salute.

"I'm going to try to get to know the other students, and Alex, while George is distracting the staff, see if you can get the layout of the camp and schematics. They'd be really useful."

"Yeah, cool, but when am I going to get a chance to do this?" Alex asked.

"Today is sort of a 'meet and greet' kind of thing, so there won't be any lessons. Hopefully, you'll be able to get the information we need," Camryn said, looking rather pleased with herself. Then she noticed that Alex was falling back asleep.

"Alex!" she said sharply, causing him to jolt awake.

"Huh? Yeah…whatever…"

* * *

"Kimmie, darling, there you are!" Uborevich cried across the room ask Alex, George, and Camryn entered a large hall where around twenty other teenagers were milling around chatting.

"Go get him, girl," Camryn said, nudging George forward. Alex saw George gulp with anxiety. He squeezed her hand in reassurance. She gave him a small smile before she turned to Uborevich and waved.

"Good morning, Mr. Uborevich. How are you this fine morning?"

Uborevich was now in front of the group and still had yet to register Camryn and Alex.

"Grand, my darling, just grand. Now come with me; I have some people who are just dying to meet you." He held out his arm, which George linked hers into.

"Little old me?" she simpered, "but why, sir?"

Camryn smiled. "That takes care of the old Russian pervert. I think I see a couple of brainiacs. Excuse me while I go make friends. I'll keep an eye out for you and George. Signal me if you need cover."

Alex watched as both Camryn and George disappeared into the crowds, leaving him alone.

_Okay,_ Alex thought. _Schematics – where would they be? Office – Uborevich's office. I wonder if George would know._

Alex ran over his plan in his head and looked around the room for George. He spotted her surrounded by five male teachers, laughing and joking.

_Okay, maybe not the best time to interrupt. Guess I'll have to look for the office myself._

Alex found the office with ease, thankful that the corridor was empty. He tried to the door; it was locked – of course. Alex heard footsteps behind him. Frantically thinking up an excuse, he spun around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Camryn.

"George got a hold of these," Camryn said, holding up a bunch of keys. "She figured you might need them. She said she can keep these guys going for about an hour, give or take, so be quick." She threw the keys at Alex.

"Which one opens the office?" he asked.

Camryn shrugged. "If I knew, I would have told you." Camryn pulled a PDA and a firewire from her pocket and handed them to Alex who shoved the device into his pocket. "The schematics will probably be on some kind of computer or maybe another PDA. Put everything you find on this." She disappeared through a door leading back out to the crowd of students.

Alex looked at the huge bunch of keys and sighed. He picked out the first key and shoved it into the lock. It refused to turn, so he picked out the next one. After five attempts, a key finally unlocked the door, and Alex cautiously entered.

* * *

"Kimmie, darling, meet Edik Dakhov," Uborevich said, introducing George to his friend. "He will be another one of your teachers here."

George smiled at Dakhov, thankful that he was slightly younger than Uborevich.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kimberly. Uborevich speaks very highly of you." Dakhov raised George's hand to his lips and kissed it.

George giggled. "The pleasure is all mine, sir," she said, beginning to grow even more uncomfortable.

"So, you're interested in nuclear science?" Dakhov asked.

George nodded, truth being that she knew absolutely nothing about nuclear science and couldn't be less interested in it. "My older sister, Kelsey, is amazingly smart. She has always loved science. She's the one who got me interested."

"And your friend, Nathan?" Dakhov persisted. "Are you two an item?"

"No, no, Nathan is a family friend who Kelsey and I grew up with. He's a great guy and loves anything that has to do with science." George didn't like the way the conversation was heading. She needed to make these men laugh, not ask her questions about science.

"Kimmie, darling, there's something I wish to show you," Uborevich said.

"Really, sir? What would that be?"

"It's a surprise. The students aren't supposed to see until tomorrow. Come, dear, follow me."

George smiled and allowed Uborevich to take her hand and lead her through the crowd. If she had looked back, she would have seen Dakhov giving Uborevich a thumbs-up and crafty smile.

Camryn noticed George being led away from the room. She faked a laugh at a joke made by one of the boys she stood with.

"Um, sorry, do any of you know where the restroom is?" she asked.

"Down the hall and to the left," one boy pointed.

"Thanks."

Camryn made her way through the crowd, cutting close to the group of teachers. They spoke in rapid Russian. She only caught a few phrases over the noise of chatting teenagers, but those few phrases were enough to make her shudder. She had to find George. She weaved around people until she found the corridor, which George had gone down with Uborevich. Camryn almost couldn't wait to get her hands on that dirty Russian.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alex busied himself sifting through computer files. Soon he found a folder of schematics and profiles of all the teachers. This was perfect. Alex began transferring files through the firewire onto the PDA when he heard the doorknob turn. Alex's heart skipped a beat. Luckily, he had locked the door. He sat anxiously, waiting for the files to load onto the PDA. Seconds ticked by dangerously. Where was Camryn when he needed her? He couldn't get caught this early on in the mission. Suddenly, the door opened. Alex quickly slid out of his seat and hid under the desk, his heart pounding wildly.

"Alex?" Camryn called softly.

Alex crawled out from under the desk. "God, you scared the shit out of me!" he hissed angrily.

"Sorry. You wouldn't have happened to see George, have you?"

"No. I've been working on getting these files."

"How's it going?"

"Almost finished."

Camryn walked behind the desk, brushing past Alex. She went online and typed a short e-mail to MI6. Alex leaned over her shoulder.

"What's that for?" he asked.

"Sending an e-mail from this computer will give MI6 the IP address of the computer. They can trace the IP address to this location."

Just then, Camryn heard Uborevich's booming voice, followed by George's girlish giggles. But the sound wasn't coming from the corridor. Curious, Camryn went over to the left wall and pressed her ear to it. A phone rang. Uborevich answered it and spoke in Russian. Camryn strained to hear the words muffled through the plaster. But then there was silence.


	7. Playing Games

_okay here's the next chapter, if you didn't like Uborevich before he's really going to creep you out in this chapter. Enjoy xx_

* * *

Uborevich led George to a science lab. It was big, modern, silver, gleaming, and deserted. George looked around.

_Where is there no one else here?_ she asked herself.

Uborevich's phone rang, making George jump as he answered it and began talking in Russian. George told her self to calm down. Maybe he did just want to show her the lab. Something told her that wasn't why they were in the lab though. George reminded herself that she had taken down stronger men than Uborevich many times before.

"Sorry about that, my dear," Uborevich said, touching George's shoulder. She swung around and then placed a smile on her face.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked, moving away from Uborevich.

"No one important," was all he said.

"This is the best science lab I have ever seen. I can't wait to work in here. Thank you so much for showing me, but shouldn't we be getting back to the 'meet and greet?' I've barely met any other students." George tried to walk past Uborevich to the door. He held an arm out to stop her.

"I didn't bring you here to show you the lab," he stated blatantly.

"Oh?" George tried to keep up the innocent, cute, schoolgirl act, but she was growing ever more wary of Uborevich. All of her senses were telling her to kick his ass and run.

"You know, Kimmie, darling, you truly are beautiful. Your smile lights up a room."

George nodded. "Why, thank you."

"I wanted to show you…" Uborevich began to say, advancing on George. He unbuckled his belt. George's eyes widened. Seeing her surprise, Uborevich smirked and pulled down the zipper.

"Sir, I really think we should be getting back," George said through gritted teeth, clenching her fists. She backed into a wall, knocking a glass beaker off the side as she did. George prepared herself to fight.

"Don't be silly, Kimmie; no one will notice that we're gone."

"My sister and Nathan will," George protested, but Uborevich clamped his hand over her mouth. He pressed her to the wall and pushed his body against hers, trapping her. George's heart pounded in fear.

"Kimmie, darling, maybe it's best if you just keep quiet," Uborevich murmured, breathing onto her neck. He pressed himself tighter against her. A pleased moan escaped him as he moved his hips against her, grinding and pushing, making George's skin crawl. He pressed his hand to her thigh and squeezed, groaning louder. He touched his mouth to her vulnerable throat and sucked on her warm skin, grinding and pushing harder and allowing his pants to slide down his legs. George raised her knee and was inches away from the man's groin when a loud siren sounded overhead. Uborevich swore. He stepped back and took his hand off George's mouth.

"Is that the fire alarm? We should get to the fire assembly point immediately." With that, George pushed past Uborevich and ran from the room.

* * *

"Was that George?" Alex asked as Camryn pressed her ear against the wall. "Camryn, what's going on?"

"That bastard, Uborevich, took George off somewhere. When I went to follow them, I walked past some of the other teachers and heard them talking. Sounds like Uborevich wants to get a bit frisky with my 'sister.'" Suddenly, glass shattered on the other side of the wall. Camryn turned to Alex. He was looking more concerned than she had ever seen him.

"I'm going to kill him," he growled and headed for the door. Camryn grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Use your head, Alex! You'll blow our cover." Camryn looked around and spotted a fire alarm button behind a glass panel. "I've got a better idea." She spun around on the ball of her foot and slammed her other foot into the glass. It shattered and the siren blared. Camryn turned back to Alex. "I'll go find George. Look, Alex, she's a big girl – she can handle herself. Some of the things she told me last night about her past missions were pretty incredible. You stay here and get as much information you can. But work fast. Get out to be counted at the fire assembly point. I'll meet you there with George, okay?"

Alex sighed reluctantly and nodded. Camryn smiled and darted from the room.

* * *

George was running so fast from the science lab and towards the courtyard outside that she didn't see Camryn running towards her. The pair collided and fell to the floor.

"What the hell?! Geor – Kim, are you okay?" Camryn asked. She was so relieved to see George that she almost forgot where they were.

"Yeah, I'm fine – thanks to that fire alarm." George looked up at Camryn who was smiling broadly. "I take it I have to thank for that?"

"Yeah, Nathan and I heard you and Uborevich through the wall. Come on, let's get outside."

Camryn grabbed George's hands and the pulled each other up. They ran out to the courtyard without another look back. Once outside, the other students and teachers were already there. Camryn quickly scanned the crowd for Alex. _Where was he?_

* * *

Alex could barely concentrate on reading the last files because of the loud siren. _Damned thing…_he thought to himself. Finally, he finished transporting the files. He unplugged the firewire and the PDA and shoved the device into his pocket. He shut down the computer and went for the door. Suddenly, the door opened and hit him in the forehead, sending him stumbling backward.

"What are you doing in here?" demanded a gruff voice.

Alex looked up to see a man in a white shirt and gray tie – one of the teachers.

"This is Uborevich's office. No one is allowed in here. What's that in your pocket?"

Something sank inside Alex. This man was too suspicious to be kept around. Alex twisted around and sent a high back kick into the man's face. He grabbed a handful of the man's gray hair and slammed his head into the wall, knocking the Russian unconscious.

_Oh crap,_ Alex thought. _Unconscious guy – what do I do with him?_

Alex quickly tied and gagged the man and dragged him out into the hallway. He looked in and out of doors, trying to find a place for the man. Then he found the laundry chute – perfect. He heaved the man up to the opening of the chute and pushed him through. Alex heard him land with a sickening _thud._

_Oops, _Alex thought. He thought there would be a laundry bin to catch the man.

"This sucks…" Alex turned and ran out of the building to the courtyard. Everyone was already outside. Alex felt stupid as all eyes fell on him.

"Where were you?!" cried Dakhov. "We were worried!"

Alex blushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, I was using the toilet and got lost on my way out."

"You're lucky there was no real fire."

"Sorry."

"Alright, every back in the building," Uborevich ordered.

The students and teachers filed back in and continued chatting as if nothing had happened. Camryn, Alex, and George stood in the corner.

"Did you get the information we need?" Camryn asked quietly.

Alex nodded.

"Good, we'll look at it tonight."

* * *

That night, George sat curled up on her bed. She shuddered at the memory of that morning. She couldn't get it out of her mind. Suddenly, the door opened. By the time George looked up, Uborevich had closed the door, and he was almost upon her. George opened her mouth to scream for Camryn and Alex but Uborevich clamped her mouth shut. She pushed and kicked at him to get away. Uborevich forced himself on top of her to control her movements.

"Stop playing games, Kimmie," Uborevich murmured, a smirking playing across his thin, withered lips.

"Did someone say 'games'?"

Uborevich looked up and found Camryn standing in the doorway of the bathroom, casually leaning against the doorframe.

"I like games," Camryn said coolly. "I have one: it's called 'touch my sister and get the shock of your life.'" Camryn produced a stun gun from her pocket, aimed, and fired. The electrodes hit Uborevich's neck, causing him to convulse uncontrollably and slip out of consciousness. Camryn laid the stun gun on the nightstand and pulled Uborevich off George and dragged him toward the door. "I'll be right back - gotta take out the trash."


	8. Mistake

**hey guys, this is the monkeywithapen half. i've sketched out what the characters of this story look like cuz i love you guys so much lol. i inked and colored the pictures so if you want to see them let me know and i'll give you guys the link. i have sketches of Alex, Camryn, George, Uborevich, and Dakhov.**

* * *

Alex stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. He pulled on a fresh T-shirt and a pair of green boxers. He stepped out of the bathroom as he dried his shaggy blonde hair with the towel. He stopped suddenly, muscles perfectly still. Through the silence, he could hear soft whimpers. Alex put the towel down on the corner of the bed and went to the connecting door. He knocked, then opened it slightly. George sat on the bed, knees curled up to her chest, shaking and crying. Alex quietly entered the girls' room.

"George?" he called to her softly.

"Alex?" came George's weak reply.

"Are you alright, George?"

George turned to Alex, tears streaming down her face. Alex walked over to the bed and gently sat down next to her. To his surprise, George leaned her head on his shoulder. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and stroked her hair as she wept into his chest.

"George, what happened? Please talked to me," Alex begged softly.

George sniffed and looked up at Alex with her big green eyes. "Uborevich was here…"

"What?! When?!" Alex butted in. He looked at George and suddenly realized what had happened. "You mean he tried to…?"

George nodded, more tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Where is he now?" Alex growled, standing up and crunching his knuckles. "I'm going to kill him."

"Cam came in. She shot him with a stun gun, then dragged him off somewhere. I thought I could handle him, Alex. I thought I knew what I was doing. Why did I even go near that creep?"

Alex turned back to George. She looked so cute and vulnerable, her eyes still glistening with tears.

"You did what you had to," he said, pulling her to her feet and into a hug. "I'm just glad you're okay."

George looked up at Alex. "Do you mean that?" she asked quietly.

Alex nodded. He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. "Yeah, I do."

George blushed and bit down on her bottom lip. Alex gently lowered George back onto the bed, and then lay down with her. He began kissing her more passionately than before.

"Alex Rider, you have no trousers on," George giggled, running her fingers up Alex's naked thighs, sending pleasant shivers up and down his spine.

"Georgina Thomas, you also have no trousers on." Alex kissed her nose.

George looked down and saw that she was only wearing hot pants and a small top. "Oh…yeah."

Alex laughed and pulled off his shirt. "Is it just me, or did it get very hot in here?" he whispered in her ear before kissing her properly again. Half an hour later, Alex and George were still lying together. George's head was resting on Alex's bare chest, and he was stroking her hair gently.

"I'm going to protect you – I promise," he whispered.

George smiled. "I know. Cam's a good protector. I should know – that's twice she's saved me from Uborevich." George shuddered as she said his name. Alex held her tighter.

Camryn! Suddenly, Alex felt a stone of guilt fall into the pit of his stomach. _Not two days ago was I kissing Camryn and…oh God! That morning I kissed George too, and now…_ He looked down at George as she stroked his chest. _I am such a prick! George is going to hate me when she finds out._

"Alex, are you okay?" George asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

Alex looked down into her smiling, beautiful face and gorgeous green eyes. The stone grew heavier in his gut. "Yeah, babe, I'm fine." He kissed her on the head and watched as she drifted into a deep sleep. Alex carefully laid George's head on the pillow and pulled the covers over her sleeping body. Then he slipped his T-shirt back on.

On his way back to his room, Alex spotted Camryn's stun gun sitting on the nightstand. He picked it up and inspected it. His eyes widened when he saw the voltage the weapon was set to. Camryn had set the voltage to a nearly lethal level. Just then, Alex heard Camryn's voice outside. He left the room to find Camryn standing alone in the hallway, cell phone pressed to her ear. He couldn't understand what she was saying. Her words were soft, rapid, and foreign. When Camryn finished, she snapped her phone shut and turned around. She jumped and yelped in shock when she saw Alex.

"God, you scared me!" she cried.

Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door to his room. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

Alex opened the door and walked inside, pulling Camryn inside with him. He shut the door and turned to her with a stiff frown on his face.

"What do you think you were doing?" he demanded. "You shocked Uborevich with a nearly lethal voltage. You could have killed him."

"I know what I did," Camryn replied calmly.

"But why? If you killed him, you could have blown our cover."

"But I didn't kill him, now did I?"

"But you could have. Why did you even think of giving him that high of a voltage?"

"I had to shock him hard enough to mess up his short-term memory."

"Great! You screwed up his brain!" Alex cried.

"If I didn't, he would wake up and remember that I stunned him. I don't know what you think, but I'm pretty sure that normal fifteen-year-olds don't run around with stun guns in their back pockets."

"And you do?"

"I'm not your normal fifteen-year-old, am I?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Whatever, that's not my point."

"Then what's your point, Alex?"

"You need to be more careful when you decide to do something. If you blow our cover, all three of us may be killed."

Camryn glared at Alex. "Do you think I don't know what's at stake here? I was sent on this mission to make sure _you_ don't screw up."

Alex returned her steely glare. "Maybe MI6 sent the wrong person."

"Maybe." Camryn turned on her heel and went for the connecting door.

"Who was on the phone?" Alex asked.

Camryn stopped with her hand on the doorknob. "Just an old friend."

Before Camryn could slip through the door, Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He pushed the door closed.

"Who was on the phone?" Alex asked again, more forcefully this time. "Give me a name."

Camryn shoved Alex away. "Don't worry about it. You don't need to know."

"I need to know if I'm to trust you not only with my safety but also George's. Any information you have needs to be shared with George and me. We can't work together if you keep secrets from us."

"Yes we can. And we will." Camryn turned to leave again, but Alex stopped her.

"You're not leaving until I have an answer," Alex said defiantly.

"I gave you an answer."

"Not the answer I want."

Camryn stubbornly crossed the room and sat down in an armchair. "I guess I'll be here all night then."

Alex walked over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Camryn­-"

Camryn jumped out of her seat and shoved him hard. "My personal life isn't any of your business!"

Alex felt that he had met his match in stubbornness and defiance. He pressed himself close to Camryn and wrapped his arms around her. "What about that kiss we shared? Do you remember? In the conference room?"

"Yeah, I remember," Camryn replied softly. "It was a mistake."

Alex felt his body go rigid. He suddenly felt like liquid nitrogen had been poured into his gut. The cold spread to the rest of his body. Camryn pulled herself out of his arms and left. Alex stood there in the middle of the room, staring at the spot where Camryn had stood just a few seconds ago. He sighed heavily.

_I guess I deserve this,_ he thought.


	9. Classes

**Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. If we haven't sent you the sketches for the characters yet and you requested them or want them, let me us know. My brain's been in and out and sloshed up. Chapter 10 is also finished and should be up soon.  
**

* * *

The next morning was the start of lessons. Total, there were thirty students involved in the program. The students were divided into three classes. Luckily, Camryn, George, and Alex ended up in the same class. The first class of the day was physics. Half of the room was a normal classroom with desks and three large dry-erase boards. The other half of the room was a physics lab complete with the latest, shining equipment and computers.

Camryn sat front and center of the classroom next to George and another boy named Pierre who was from Paris, France. Alex sat behind George, keeping a watchful, protective eye on her.

The door beside one of the dry-erase boards opened. A brown-haired, blue-eyed man walked into the classroom. His blue shirt was ironed neatly and his navy tie fit perfectly around his neck. His dark gray slacks were ironed as perfectly as his shirt. A gray sports jacket was draped over his arm. He hung the coat on the back of the chair behind his desk. Then he took his place in front of the class.

"Good morning," he greeted with a charming smile. "My name is Professor Dakhov. I will be teaching you nuclear and molecular physics for your three weeks here with our program."

As the next hour of physics dragged on, George paid no attention to Dakhov. She sat in her chair and doodled hearts on her notebook. She could feel Alex's eyes on her from behind. Her lips tingled as she thought about him. Her cheeks grew hot as she recalled the events of the previous night. She stayed in her daydream until Camryn poked her with a pen.

"Hey, class is over," Camryn said quietly.

George gathered up her notebooks and followed Camryn and Alex out of the classroom. "So, where to next?"

"Chemistry," Alex told her.

George rolled her eyes. "Ugh."

"So, what did you think about our first lecture?" Pierre asked as he approached Camryn.

"A little bit dry at the moment."

"Dry? How could you find it boring?"

"I've already learned this stuff last year," Camryn replied. "It'll get more interesting when I actually learn something new."

"So, do you like chemistry?"

"Yeah."

When the students entered the chemistry classroom, George recognized the room and hesitated. Alex laid his hand on her shoulder.

"I can't," George said, backing away.

"It's okay, I'm here."

George turned and looked up at Alex.

"I'll protect you," Alex said. George smiled at him, then reluctantly entered the classroom and sat next to Camryn. Pierre sat down on the other side of Camryn, still jabbering when Camryn obviously wanted him to shut up. Then the door beside the dry-erase boards opened. A short, chubby man with gray hair walked into the classroom.

"Hello," he said cheerily. "I am Professor Tatlin. I will be teaching you chemistry. To start off today, who knows the design of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl?"

None of the students raised his or her hand. Camryn slowly put her hand in the air.

"Ah, yes, what is your name?"

"Kelsey."

"Kelsey, why don't you do me a favor and draw out a diagram of the reactor?" Tatlin asked, handing Camryn a dry-erase marker. Camryn walked up to the board and began drawing out her diagram. She worked quickly with perfect precision. Within a few minutes, her diagram was finished, complete with full details and labels. George and Alex were impressed.

"Nicely done, Kelsey. Thank you."

Camryn sat back down in her seat as Tatlin explained the diagram. Once again, George fell back into her daydream. She didn't snap out of it until she heard the word "bomb." She bolted straight up in her chair and listened intently. She relaxed when Tatlin continued on talking about the Cold War. Then Tatlin began explaining what was in the lab. Camryn took notes in a separate part of her notebook, writing down everything he said that was in the lab. A high school chemistry lab had enough materials to make a crude bomb. A lab like this had to have the right materials and equipment to make a more sophisticated explosive. That might come in handy later.

George almost yelled out in triumph when Tatlin stated that the lesson was over and they should all go and enjoy their hour-long break before third class.

"Come on," Camryn whispered, grabbing George's arm. "Let's go back to our room."

The three headed back up to Camryn and George's room. George sat down heavily on the sofa and massaged the back of her neck.

"Sitting in these classes, we're not learning anything. We need to do some actual spying," she said.

"George is right," Alex said. He looked at Camryn who was looking at George.

"George, what do you think of Dakhov? He's seems to like you."

"Oh, no," Alex almost yelled. "You're not making her do that again!"

Camryn frowned at Alex. "I'm trying to be objective. Besides, it's up to her, Alex. George?"

George looked from Camryn to Alex. "Yeah, I reckon I could make him talk."

"No! You're not doing this again! You got in enough trouble with Uborevich! Camryn, you can't let her do this!"

"Just shut up and do what I tell you to!" Camryn shouted at him.

Alex was taken aback by her sudden explosion of anger. Was she still sour from the argument last night? He probably should apologize to her, but he was too angry to even consider it.

"Why don't _you_ shut up and get everyone else's opinions before you start running your mouth and giving orders?!" Alex shouted back.

"Because that's what Mr. Blunt sent me here for!"

"Will you two cut it out?!" George cut in.

Camryn sighed. "Okay, George, see what you can get out of Dakhov. Be careful. If he gives you any bad vibes, get away from him and let me know. I'm going to take a look around to see if these Communists are planning anything."

"What about me?" Alex asked.

Camryn glared at him. "Standby for orders and stay out of my way." With that, Camryn brushed past him and left the room. Once outside, she took out her phone and dialed a number. She pressed the phone to her ear, waited, then began speaking in fluent Russian.

* * *

Once an hour was up, the three teens walked into their third lesson of the day. All three of them froze when they saw Uborevich standing in front of the board. 

"Kimmie, darling," he beamed.

"He doesn't remember anything," Camryn told George, nudging her toward Uborevich. "Be careful."

"Good afternoon, sir," George said shakily. She clenched her fists and told her self to get a grip. "I've been wondering when I would have the chance to be taught by you."

"There we go," Camryn said in triumph. She turned to Alex. "See? It'll all work out fine."

"You call that guy drooling over Kim a good thing?" Alex hissed through gritted teeth.

"Nathan, she'll be fine. Give the girl a break."

Alex spent lessons with his eyes constantly on George and Uborevich. George pretended she couldn't measure out different liquids so Uborevich helped her, standing far too close and showing her by standing behind her and guiding her hands. It was making Alex's skin crawl. He gripped onto the desk to stop himself from lunging at Uborevich.

"Has he no shame?" Camryn whispered to Alex. "The class can see what he's doing."

"If I see any more of this, I'm going to slit his throat."

Camryn patted Alex's shoulder. "Just relax. It'll be fine."

A bell rang overhead signaling the end of the morning classes and the beginning of lunch hour. Alex jumped out of his seat and grabbed George's arm. "Come on, Kim, we don't want to end up last in the lunch queue."

""Actually, Kimmie, darling," Uborevich said, taking a hold of her other arm, "I would like to speak to you for moment, if I may?"

George was caught between the creepy, middle-aged Russian and the attractive teenage boy. Alex was gripping her arm tightly, and Uborevich was smiling devilishly.

"I won't be long, Nathan, save me a place, and I'll come meet you and Kelsey, okay?" George said.

Reluctantly, Alex released George's arm. "Okay, Kim, don't take too long though," Alex said as he left the room. Once outside, he intended on staying by the door. He felt a hand on his shoulder and swung around. Camryn stood there with a look of genuine annoyance on her face.

"Leave her to it, Alex," she said quietly so no one else could hear.

"You want me to leave her in there with him?" Suddenly, there was a loud thud from inside the room like someone falling onto the linoleum floor.


	10. Free

"See?!" Alex hissed, swinging around but then stopped. It was Uborevich on the floor – not George.

"Come on. Let George take out her anger." Camryn grabbed Alex's arm and dragged him away.

* * *

"Kimmie, what are you doing?!" Uborevich spat as George kneed him in the groin and pushed him to the ground. George glared down at Uborevich, yanking down her shirt that he had pushed up.

"Did you really think I was going to let you touch me again?" she said in her normal voice, watching the Russian rise to his feet.

"You're going to pay for that," he growled.

George crunched her knuckles. "Bring it."

"Dakhov was right, I should have gone for your sister."

George laughed and ducked a punch Uborevich threw at her. She grabbed his fist and twisted it behind his back and threw him into one of the lab tables. George advanced and threw a back roundhouse kick into the side of his head. She smirked as she heard the satisfying crack of his neck. Uborevich cried out in pain.

"Does it hurt?" George sneered. "Just consider yourself lucky that my sister isn't here. Within thirty seconds of torture, she'd make you wish you were dead."

Uborevich smirked back. "But it wouldn't be torture. I'd enjoy her too much." He kicked George's feet from under her. He pinned her arms to her side and pulled himself on top of her. George began to panic.

"You won't get away from me this time, Kimmie," Uborevich hissed. "Kelsey won't be here to save you this time."

George's heart skipped a beat. Did he know?

"That's right, Kimmie. I know what happened last night. I found burn marks from the electrodes on my neck."

George cursed silently. Suddenly, Uborevich began to touch her again – roughly this time.

_This can't happen to me,_ George told herself desperately. She closed her eyes and thought of Alex. She remembered last night – his kiss, his body, his promise. She told herself that Alex was the only person allowed to touch her like this.

_Only Alex, only Alex._

Uborevich slid his hands down and grabbed a firm hold of George's jeans.

_Camryn lay down on the floor with her legs spread apart. "George, pretend you're going to rape me."_

"_You want me to do _what_?!"_

"_You heard me. Just do it."_

_George awkwardly knelt down between Camryn's legs and grabbed her hips. Camryn's serious face made this even more awkward._

_"Now watch carefully," Camryn told George. "If you're ever in this situation again, this is how you get out of it."_

_Only Alex…_

George pictured the technique Camryn had taught her that morning. She could do it. She had to. George grabbed Uborevich's hands and held on tight. She lifted her right leg and in one swift movement, swung it across Uborevich, locking his elbow. She rolled over onto her side and slammed her leg down onto the floor, which should have broken the man's arm. Uborevich reacted quickly and bent his elbow. George was now kneeling on one knee with Uborevich's arm trapped and bent at a bad angle beneath her other knee. She tightened her grip on his hand and slammed it down on the floor. The bones cracked and shattered on impact. Uborevich screamed.

George stood up and shoved Uborevich onto his back. She pushed her foot onto his neck, closing his throat.

"You won't kill me – you can't. You're too nice, too innocent," he gasped.

George laughed. "I love how everyone thinks I'm just some innocent little girl who can't protect herself. Bye, Uborevich." George pulled her foot back a bit. Uborevich smiled and relaxed. George slammed her foot into his face, causing him to black out. George grabbed two beakers from one of the shelves. She went to the chemicals cabinet and filled the two beakers with clear liquids. She sat Uborevich up against a lab table and waved one beaker under his nose – concentrated ammonia. Uborevich sputtered as he awoke.

"Sir, sir, are you alright?" George asked, kneeling down in front of him.

"Kimmie? What happened? My head is killing me."

"I found you like this, sir. Here, have some water." George placed the beaker to Uborevich's lips and tipped a good amount of the clear liquid into his mouth. He swallowed and immediately collapsed to the floor gasping for air.

"Kimmie?!" he rasped.

George smirked and sang, "Little Pavel took a drink, but he will drink no more. For what he thought was H2O was H2SO4." Uborevich's eyes hardened as the realization of his death fell upon him.

"Bye, sir."

Then his eyes were blank. George was finally free from him.

* * *

Alex and Camryn sat side by side at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria. Camryn ate calmly, scanning the crowd for George. Alex stabbed his fork at random pieces of pasta on his place. He hadn't eaten anything for the first ten minutes of lunch hour. He glanced over at George's tray across the table. Where was she? What was taking her so long?

"Hey, there's our girl," Camryn said, sticking a forkful of pasta into her mouth.

Alex looked up to see George walking toward the table. A boy stood up and said something to George. George forced a smile and said something back to him. Then she came to the table and sat down. She immediately began eating without saying a word.

"Kim, what hap-"

Camryn jabbed Alex in the side. She shot him a warning look. "So, what do you want to do after lunch?" she asked George. "We have the rest of the day off. Today's afternoon classes are optional."

George shrugged. "Do you think we can get out of here for a while? I just need to get out."

"Yeah. I'll talk to Dakhov. I'll see if I can get a plane to Moscow and a car."

"You can drive?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, not legally though." Camryn finished the rest of her food and left. Alex finally began eating, reassured that George was okay. Once the two finished, they headed back to the rooms. George sat on the couch and quietly stared off into space. Alex couldn't take his eyes off her, wondering what was going through her mind. He began to wonder if she was really okay. He moved closer and pulled George into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Alex said softly before kissing her.

"What for?"

"I said that I would protect you. I shouldn't have left you alone with Uborevich."

"It's okay, Alex. I took care of it. He's dead."

"What? Really? Wow…I…don't know what to say."

George chuckled. "Alex, I _can_ take care of myself."

"Sorry."

George pulled him closer and kissed him. "What are you apologizing for now, Blondie?"

"I underestimated you."

"It's okay."

Alex kissed her again, more deeply this time. Suddenly, the door opened. Alex and George sprang apart.

"Hey, guys," Camryn said as she walked into the room. She held up a set of keys. "I got a private jet and a car. Ready to go?"

"Sure, let me get my purse," George said, getting up.

_Damn you, Alex!_ Alex cursed himself. _Not again!_

"Alex?" Camryn said, poking his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, let's go."

As the three left the barracks, Alex wondered about what was going through Camryn's head. Why was she so edgy all of a sudden? Why was she so angry with him? Did she know about him and George? Should he confront her? What could he say to her? In the end, Alex decided to keep his mouth shut and just enjoy the time away from the camp. It had only been two days, and already, it was too much.

* * *

Once they arrived in Moscow, Camryn led them to the car she had borrowed and drove around the city. Alex gazed out the window at the crowded city. George sat quietly in the back. Camryn stopped and parked the car in front of a large five-story building.

"What's this place?" George asked, speaking her first words since they left the barracks.

"A shopping mall," Camryn said.

The three teenagers climbed out of the car and entered the large building. It was busy with shoppers rushing to sales and teenagers just hanging out with their friends. George and Alex were lost in the immensity of the mall that they didn't notice Camryn slip away into the crowd.

Camryn made her way over to a tall man in his early twenties standing by a coffee shop. He had rusty colored hair that was messy and spiked in random places, a cockily slanted smile, and green eyes that Camryn recognized from somewhere but couldn't place. Army dog tags hung from his neck. A loose fitting black shirt covered his large biceps and ripped jeans hung low around his waist, showing over half of his black Calvin Klein boxers.

"Hey, Shawn," Camryn said, finally free from the other two. "What's up?"

"You took your time," Shawn replied, looking past Camryn at George and Alex – especially George.

_What's every guy's fascination with this girl?!_ Camryn thought, a little disappointed.

"Who are those kids you're with?" Shawn asked.

"Partners, kind of, why?"

Shawn was still staring intently at George.

"See something you like?" Camryn asked.

Shawn shook his head and dragged his eyes away form Alex and George who were now looking around for Camryn. "No, just thought I recognized the girl – I don't."

"Dude, are you okay?"

"Don't worry about it." Shawn grabbed Camryn's arm and pulled her into the coffee shop and out of sight.

* * *

"Hey, Cam," George began as she turned around. "Cam? Alex, where did Camryn go?"

Alex looked around. "I don't know. No wonder I thought she was being quieter than usual. She isn't even here."

"Where has she gone now?" George asked, scanning the crowds. "Who does she think she is? Just disappearing like that. I bet she planned this."

Alex just shrugged. The stone of guilt was back and it was heavier than before.

"Well, do we just wait here or go off and possibly not find her again?" George turned to Alex, seemingly asking him for the answer. She seemed angry and frustrated – a side of her Alex hadn't seen before. Again, he shrugged.

"I'm going shopping. I'm not just going to wait around for her," George said then paused to take a breath. "You coming, Alex?" she asked, more calmly this time.

"Uh, yeah," Alex said and followed George into a clothing shop. Alex wondered why George was suddenly so angry with Camryn. Yesterday, they had been the best of friends. He wondered if it had anything to do with Camryn almost walking in on them earlier. Maybe George was annoyed that they were disturbed.

_What am I going to do?_ Alex stressed. He was pulled from his thoughts by George walking out of the dressing room and twirling in front of him. She had on a short mini-skirt and a very tight, black halter-top.

"Think this will get Dakhov's attention?" she asked, leaning against the changing room door and smiling seductively at Alex.

Alex gulped. "You are never going to wear that outfit if you're going anywhere near Dakhov."

George smiled again. "Are you _sure_ you don't like this outfit?"

"Shut up and take it off," Alex laughed, throwing another shirt at her. George smiled and disappeared back into the changing room.


	11. Family Reunion

**for those who have not seen the drawings yet because fanfiction is going wacky, here's the url:**

**http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/4179/img2127py9.jpg**

* * *

Shawn slouched in his chair as he gulped mouthfuls of coffee. Camryn sat with her legs crossed and sipped her latte. Both were silent for a long time.

"What are you doing here?" Shawn asked quietly, finally breaking the silence between them.

"I was sent here."

"By whom and what for?"

Camryn leaned over the table a bit. She waited for Shawn to sit up straight and lean toward her so she could speak softly. "MI6 sent me here to lead a mission. That's why I've been calling you for information on the former KGB members."

"Why didn't you tell me that MI6 sent you? I would have given you more information."

Camryn raised her eyebrow. "You've been withholding information?"

"I didn't know why you were here. I didn't want to tell you too much for security reasons."

Camryn frowned. "Whose security? Yours or mine?"

"Both. I don't want to get involved with the Russian government, and I don't want you getting yourself hurt or even killed."

Camryn leaned back a little bit and crossed her arms across her chest. "Since when do you care about _my_ safety?"

"I've always cared. I mean, I don't want you to die or anything."

Camryn leaned over the table again. "Do you remember Mexico five months ago? You almost left me to suffocate in those tunnels and saved your own ass."

"But I didn't."

"What made you come back? I've been wanting to ask you that."

Shawn sighed. "I have a little sister who I haven't seen for years now. You just remind me of her."

"You didn't know me before the morning of that assault. Why did I have any significance to you?"

Shawn shrugged. "I was just thinking about my sister, that's all." That was only half of the truth. He couldn't tell a fifteen-year-old girl that he was attracted to her – even if it was only slightly. The fact that Camryn reminded him of his sister was the reason why Shawn had saved her back in Mexico. After that, they had kept in contact only for informative purposes. He started to think less of her as a sister and more as a comrade, even a friend – a distant one at that. This was the first time that Shawn had heard from Camryn in three months. The last time she had contacted him was for schematics of the Russian consulate in the United States. Shawn studied the girl's face, set in a blank expression and deep in thought. Camryn didn't appear fifteen. She looked so much older than she really was. Maybe seventeen or eighteen. Shawn found himself wishing that Camryn were just a few years older.

"So, what are you doing with MI6?" Shawn asked, pushing away his ridiculous thoughts. "I thought you were with the CIA."

"I am. They sent me as a liaison to MI6. You know, international relations."

Shawn nodded. "Look, I have some stuff for you, but we have to go somewhere private. I don't want people sticking their noses where they shouldn't be."

Camryn smirked. "Like me?"

"Let's go to the roof," Shawn said, not answering Camryn's question. He stood up and walked out of the coffee shop with Camryn trailing behind him. Once outside, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side.

"What are you-"

Shawn leaned in close to her and smiled. "It's a cover. Don't want to look suspicious." He lightly kissed her cheek and headed toward the elevator.

* * *

George carried two shopping bags in her hand as she and Alex looked for a place to sit and take a break. They stopped at a coffee shop and sat down.

"We've been all over this place, and we still haven't seen Camryn anywhere," Alex said. He was beginning to worry. Where was Camryn? Had something happened to her?

"I'm worried," George said.

"Why? Camryn can take care of herself. We both know that."

"Uborevich said something to me while we were fighting. He said, 'Dakhov was right; I should have gone for your sister.' I'm worried that Dakhov is going to do to Camryn what Uborevich did to me."

"We should find her. Do you have her cell phone number?"

"No."

"Then how are we supposed to find her?" Alex asked, scanning the crowd.

"I don't know."

Suddenly, Alex spotted a girl with brown hair walking toward the elevator. A young man walked beside her with his arm around her waist. The girl was wearing the same light jeans and lime green T-shirt that Camryn was wearing that day. A wave of jealousy tore through Alex. He stood up.

"I found her," Alex said to George.

George picked up her bags and asked the girl at the cash register of the coffee shop to hang onto the bags.

"Let's go."

George and Alex waved through the crowds. By the time they reached the elevator, it had, of course, gone. George spotted a staircase. She grabbed Alex's arm, knowing he wouldn't hear her over the noise, and pulled him towards it. Alex was thankful when they hit the quiet of the staircase and began ascending, but soon he felt the uncomfortable silence between himself and George. Alex was a few stairs in front of George. She hadn't spoken in the past five minutes. He heard a thud behind him and turned around. A man had come up behind George, grabbed her ankles, and pulled her to the floor. George banged her head on a step and blacked out. Alex jumped down the five stairs separating them, but before he could kick the man now holding an unconscious George, Alex was grabbed from behind, pushed against the wall, and had his arms pinned to his back at a painful angle.

The man holding Alex gave orders to the other one in Russian. Alex strained to see who was talking, but he was yanked from the wall and dragged up the remaining stairs.

* * *

Shawn pulled a PDA from his pocket and pulled up schematics of the barracks in Seversk. He pointed to what seemed like an underground hanger.

"This is nuclear weapons arsenal that was used to store nukes during the Cold War. It's empty right now, but weapons are in transport right now. They'll arrive tomorrow morning."

Camryn opened her mouth to speak when a door behind them flew open. She and Shawn spun around. Dakhov walked through the door, followed by three men. Shawn took a defensive stance in front of Camryn. Camryn sighed when she saw that two of Dakhov's men were restraining and dragging a strong-willed and angry Alex. Alex was furiously trying to free himself from their grip. The third man had George flung over his shoulder unconscious.

"Ah, Camryn, there you are. I was wondering when you would turn up," Dakhov said with a pleased smile.

Alex froze. "Wait – what?!" he yelled.

Dakhov laughed.

"You stupid idiot!" Camryn yelled at Alex. "You got us caught!"

"Yeah, looking for you," Alex retorted. "If you hadn't gone off and done a disappearing act, we wouldn't have been looking for you."

"What the heck?" George grumbled. Alex heard a thud as the man holding George dropped her to the floor. "That was uncalled for," George growled at the man, rubbing her head. George looked up at Dakhov. _I should have known,_ she thought.

George scanned the rooftop. There were Dakhov and his three men, Alex, Camryn, and no! It can't be!

Camryn watched as George looked around then locked onto Shawn, her emerald eyes went from soft and confused to hard and unreadable. Camryn looked at Shawn who was looking at George as intently as he had been earlier.

"Don't I know you?" Shawn asked, his eyes still not leaving George.

"Well you should," George spat. "I'm your sister!"

"What…but no – you can't be. My sister is only thirteen, and she's blonde and…" Shawn stuttered as his voice trailed off. Camryn was surprised that someone like Shawn had lost his cool.

"Shawn, I'm fourteen, you idiot. And I'm normally blonde. I had to die my bloody hair. How could you _not_ recognize me?!" George yelled, kicking the legs out from under the man who was advancing on her, and then standing up.

Confused, Camryn looked from George to Shawn, then back to George. Now she realized where she had seen Shawn's eyes before. George had the same green eyes that now glinted with flames of fury.

"Baby girl?" Shawn gasped. It was as if a light had just been thrown in his head. His baby sister stood in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here?!" George almost shrieked. "What are _you_ doing here?! You walked out three years ago! You left me alone when you promised you would always look after me! Where were you?!"

Shawn sighed. "It's hard, baby girl."

Dakhov laughed and said, "Well, this really is a family affair, isn't it?"

Alex realized that Dakhov had his eyes set on Camryn as he said this.


	12. Double Agent

**Alrighty people, UBER sorry we haven't updated in like, what? a month? Creativity has been drained. Really really really sorry it took so long to get this up. Hopefully this chapter is good enough to make you forgive us. If anyone else would like the drawings (not sure all of you saw them) let us know and we'll send it over.  
**

** I just read a review saying something about not making fun of Americans. Believe me, I'm not, being American myself lol. Wow, Brit and American working on the same story. Crazy isn't it?**

**Well, happy reading.****  
**

* * *

Shawn ran his hands through his unruly hair and looked at his younger sister. His baby girl – as he called her – had changed immensely since he had last seen her, obviously first being that she had been eleven when he left her. Now she was fourteen, and Shawn could see that she was no longer the defenseless little girl he had left behind. Her attitude towards him radiated this change. 

Alex studied George. Her eyes were hard and her body was tense. He suddenly realized how dangerous she seemed.

"George, are you okay?" Alex asked.

"George didn't answer or look at Alex. She just continued to glare at Shawn.

"What are you doing here?" Shawn gasped after the long silence.

George shrugged. "I think that question applies to you too, don't you?" she almost growled.

"I don't want to talk about it," Shawn muttered while Camryn continued to gape at him.

"Well, then neither do I." George closed her eyes momentarily. When she opened the, there were again aflame. "How could you leave me?! And why are you here with _her_?!" George yelled, pointing at Camryn. Shawn merely shrugged.

"These two are no longer amusing me," Dakhov said. "In fact, they're annoying me now. Take them out."

Dakhov's men jumped to attack as did George and Shawn. Alex ran forward to help George as she was grabbed from behind, but Shawn beat him to it, pushing Alex out of the way. As Shawn ran at the man holding George, the man threw George and found himself being punched across the face. George sat up, momentarily dazed. Her vision was blurred as she picked herself off the floor. Dakhov pulled out a small dart gun and aimed it at Shawn. George saw the gun before anyone else. As much as she hated her brother at the moment, she didn't want him struck by whatever those darts were filled with.

"Shawn!" she yelled, running across the roof.

Alex turned just in time to see Dakhov pull the trigger. The dart buried itself in George's neck as she ran in front of Shawn. George hit the floor with a dull _thud_. Her body went limp and lifeless. Her eyes were open but unresponsive and empty.

"George?!" Alex yelled, running over to her and checking her pulse. She still had a pulse, but it was weak.

"What have you done?!" he yelled at Dakhov.

"She'll live," Dakhov said nonchalantly.

"But you won't," Shawn growled, tackling one of Dakhov's men to the floor and knocking him unconscious with a punch in the face.

Dakhov calmly loaded another dart into the gun and aimed it Shawn as he charged Dakhov. One of Dakhov's other men beat him to it. He grabbed Shawn's ankles and sent him crashing to the floor. Alex winced as he heard Shawn's head crack against the concrete. Now Shawn lay beside his sister, not moving, his eyes shut. Blood streamed out of the wound on his forehead.

Just then, a helicopter's propellers pierced the brief silence. It closed in on the roof and landed.

"Camryn, we have to do something!" he yelled over the noise of the helicopter's propellers.

Camryn and Dakhov grinned. Alex then noticed that they had the same beautiful, exotic, and proud features. Dakhov laid his hand on Camryn's shoulder.

"Nathan Overmiller – or Alex Rider, I should say – meet my niece, Camryn Albright," Dakhov said triumphantly.

"What?!" Alex cried. "He's your uncle?!"

Dakhov chuckled and patted Camryn's shoulder. "You've done a great job, kid. My sister would be proud."

"You've been a double agent this whole time?!" Alex shouted.

Camryn smirked. "You'd have figured it out if you weren't such an amateur. You're just not cut out for this kind of work."

"I trusted you," Alex growled with anger and disbelief.

"No, you didn't."

"I trusted you enough to follow your orders."

Camryn shrugged. "Well, you're not my problem anymore."

Dakhov headed over to the helicopter and climbed in. Camryn barked orders in Russians filing out of the helicopter to pick up the unconscious George and Shawn. Two men grabbed a hold of Alex. One of the men pulled out a syringe filled with a tranquilizer. Alex desperately lashed out at the man's face. He grabbed the syringe from the Russian's hand and stabbed it into the other man's throat. Alex crushed the first man's windpipe with his elbow and shoved him down the stairs. Then he lunged at Camryn. Alex tackled her to the floor and closed his hands around her throat. Camryn kicked him in the ribs and shoved him off. She stood up and faced Alex, who was stumbling to his feet. Alex charged at Camryn again in a fury of punches and kicks. He felt a wave of satisfaction every time a blow made contact. Alex channeled all his anger at Camryn. He was angry with himself for not protecting George. He was angry with Shawn for upsetting George. He was angry with Camryn for her betrayal. He was so sick of this mission. He wanted it to be over. He wanted to go home and play football and not care about anything. He was angry with MI6 for ruining his life.

Camryn reached behind her for her gun, but Alex beat her to it. Alex took the gun from the waistband of Camryn's jeans and aimed it at her. He unlocked the trigger and steadied his hands. Camryn raised her hands in surrender.

"Aright, Alex, you win," she said.

"No, not yet. Not until I kill you," Alex growled.

"You can't kill me. You wouldn't."

"You don't think I'll pull the trigger?"

"No, I don't," Camryn sneered, lowering her hands. "You know, just last night, you were dying to kiss me."

"Yeah, that was a mistake." Alex pulled the trigger without any more hesitation. The second the bullet spiraled from the muzzle of the pistol, Alex wished that he could take it back. Camryn was knocked off her feet by the impact of the shot. She lay there on the floor with a pool of red spreading across her chest. Alex dropped the gun and collapsed to his knees. His entire body was shaking. Suddenly, he felt something cold and sharp pierce the base of his neck. Camryn's bleeding body blurred. Then everything disappeared in a pool of darkness.

* * *

Camryn watched the three windows on her laptop screen. She had set up fiber optic wires in the three cells holding George, Alex, and Shawn. She sealed each window with a password so that only she could access them. George sat quietly in her cell. The serious expression on her face said that she was formulating an escape plan. Shawn was going wild in his cell. He pounded and kicked at the door, screaming for George. And Alex. Alex…he was a…complication. Camryn rubbed the bruise on her chest from being shot with a blank. She wasn't sure what to do with Alex. She shut down the laptop and headed to the cells below the staff dorm. She went into George's cell first. George looked up with a scowl. 

"How could you betray us?" she growled. "I trusted you with my life."

Camryn shrugged. "Not my problem."

"What do you want?"

"I don't know. I got a little bored, so I came down to chat."

"How do you do that?!" George cried. "How do you just stand there and act so casual with your captive?! Are you my friend or enemy?!"

Camryn laughed. "That makes me good at my job. I'll leave that question for you to answer." She turned to leave.

"Wait."

Camryn stopped and turned around. "Oh, so now you want to talk."

"How's Shawn?"

"Let's just say that I'll have to put him in a jacket and pump him with sedatives."

George leaped up to her feet, struggling against the handcuffs that held her hands behind her back. She prepared herself to lunge at Camryn. Camryn just smirked and thrust her index and middle fingers into George's shoulder, easily knocking her over. She left George's cell and headed over to Shawn's cell. She unlocked the door and kicked it open. Shawn came charging through the doorway like a wild boar. Camryn whipped out a dart gun and fired a tranquilizer into the base of Shawn's neck. Once sedated, she dragged Shawn back into his cell and locked the door. That should keep him quiet for a few hours. And now Alex… What to do with him…

Alex had managed to get his hands on a pen. With it, he picked at his handcuffs behind his back. Finally, he heard the satisfying click, and he was free. Now to free George and Shawn and get out of this place. Alex heard his door unlocking and opening. As soon as the door was open, Alex flew in a raging frenzy and tackled the guard to the floor. He heard a high-pitched, girly-sounding squeal of shock beneath him. It wasn't a guard he had attacked.

"Camryn?!"

"Will you get off me?!" she cried.

Alex didn't move. How was this possible? He had shot her not thirty minutes ago. Then the answer came to him. Then gun must have been loaded with blanks. The surprise and confusion faded away and were replaced by anger and fury.

"You goddamn traitor!!" Alex screamed at Camryn. He raised his fist to hit her. But then he was suddenly paralyzed as his serious brown eyes met Camryn's gleaming gray ones. There was a flicker of emotion in her eyes. Alex had never paid attention to Camryn's real eye color. Now that the contact lenses were gone, more than just her real eye color was revealed. Her naked eyes were like a clear window into her thoughts and emotions. Camryn took advantage of Alex's hesitation and punched him first, sending him rolling off her. Both of them scrambled to their feet. Alex grabbed Camryn and pinned her to the wall by her throat. Camryn kicked him and pushed him away. Then she pinned him to the wall by his shoulders and leaned in close to his ear.

"I'm not the enemy, Alex," Camryn whispered.

"Give me one reason why I should believe you," Alex hissed.

"I'm your only chance of getting out of this place."


	13. Friend or Foe

_Hey guys, thank you everyone for your reviews, much apprieciated, carry on reviewing we love to hear from you, hope you enjoy this chapter o yeah and Brits and American's working together hehe lol like it. :):) - love Deadly Flame xxx_

* * *

Chapter 13 – Friend or Foe

Camryn pressed closer to Alex and kissed him lightly. Alex relaxed as he let himself melt into Camryn's kiss. Alex's heart fluttered with a sudden rush of euphoria. It had been a while since the last time Alex felt Camryn's lips on his. He had forgotten how good it felt. His cheeks burst with blushing fire as he pressed his hands to Camryn's chest, embarrassed at his own boldness. He unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it off her shoulders, leaving just a camisole that barely covered much of anything. A slight smile tugged at Alex's lips as he felt Camryn's fingers playing with his belt buckle. His grin broadened as he felt the weight of his belt dangle from the waistband of his pants. Camryn slid her hands under Alex's shirt and kissed him more deeply. Alex grabbed the hem of his shirt and began pulling it off.

Just as his shirt was halfway up, there was a sudden yell of shock and pain. Camryn tore away from Alex and grabbed her shirt off the floor. She slipped it over her shoulders and struggled with the buttons as Alex fumbled with his belt.

"What was that?" Alex asked, following Camryn.

"That was my uncle."

The two turned down the corridor to see George standing with her hands balled up into fists and Dakhov backed up against the wall, holding his face.

"What are you doing down here?" Camryn asked her uncle.

"I was going to ask you that. I saw the video feeds on your laptop. I thought you were down here for interrogation."

"I am."

A door burst open and Shawn joined in with the confusion. "What the hell is going on?!"

"I know there are strange forms of interrogation," Dakhov said to Camryn, "but I didn't know stripping was one of them."

Camryn blushed, scrambling for something to say, but George beat her to it.

"Was Alex, by chance, taking off his shirt?" George asked, her voice scathing and sarcastic, hiding her shock and hurt, "because that's what he did last night while he was on top of me."

"WHAT?!" Shawn raged. "George, what the flying hell have you been doing?! You're only fourteen years old! Never mind." Then he turned his attention to Alex. "Who the hell gave you permission to get in bed with my sister?!"

"Shawn, drop the protective big brother thing. You can't pull it off now – not after what you did."

Alex looked into George's eyes as they narrowed on him. "George, I am so sorry."

"Alex, don't even try to make this right," George huffed.

"ALEX, I'M GOING TO FING KILL YOU!!" Shawn screamed. He lunged at Alex and attacked him with a fury of fists.

At the same time, George moved to take Dakhov down. Dakhov shoved Camryn to the floor and pulled out his gun.

"I'll deal with you later," Dakhov growled at Camryn and pointed his gun at George.

George sighed, fully annoyed with men ordering her around. She looked from Dakhov with the gun to Camryn, fighting the urge inside of her to hurt Camryn. She looked to her brother and Alex. Alex stood no chance against Shawn who was easily twice his size. Shawn was punching Alex as hard as he could. George felt a twang of pain and sympathy as she saw his left eye begin to swell. She dragged her eyes away from the sight and turned back to Dakhov.

"Aw, such a big, scary man pointing a gun at a girl," she retorted.

"Look at you, trying to act tough. You're the one all three of them are protecting, so shut up."

"How about no?"

Camryn raised her eyebrow. When did George get such a bitchy attitude?

Dakhov switched off the safety catch.

"Here we go again," George muttered, crunching her knuckles. Before Dakhov could eve think about pulling the trigger, George dropped to the floor and kicked him in the shins with as much force as she could muster, taking his foot out from under him and sending him crashing to the floor. As Dakhov fell, George thrust her knee into his stomach. Now in a crab position, she flipped over her back, smacking Dakhov in the face with her feet. George straightened herself up. Dakhov was face down on the floor, gasping for breath but still clutching the gun as if for life. George pressed her foot onto Dakhov's wrist to stop the blood flow to his hand. She reached down and wrenched the gun from his grip. She released his arm and took a step back.

Dakhov stood up, his eyes now bloodshot with anger. George smiled and rammed her fist into his face – once, twice, three times. Dakhov hit the hard, concrete wall behind him and slumped down to the floor, leaving a glistening trail of blood.

"Three strikes and you're out," George said coldly, raising the gun.

"You can't shoot me; you don't have it in you," Dakhov mumbled, dribbling blood.

"That's what your mate, Uborevich, said right before I killed him. I do have it in me, Dakhov, and you know something else? I am so fed up with everyone around here thinking I need to be protected and thinking I can't pull a goddamn trigger."

Camryn looked from George to her uncle. There was nothing in George's attitude, stance or steely eyes, that said she wouldn't pull the trigger.

"George, don't. Please, don't," Camryn pleaded quietly.

George's eyes quickly flicked to Camryn then back to Dakhov. In that momentary glace, George had assessed whether Camryn was joking or not.

"Camryn, he wants to kill us. He already ordered Uborevich on us."

"Actually, he was just a bit sick and twisted. I never ordered him to do anything, but I may have dropped some hints," Dakhov grinned through the blood.

"George, give me the gun, you don't know what you're doing!" Camryn yelled in desperation.

"Give you the gun? After you betrayed us?! Hell no! And Camryn, if you really think this is the first time I've held a gun, then you really have no idea who I am. I know exactly what I'm doing." Part of George wanted to turn the gun on Camryn. George didn't know who's side Camryn was on but she did know that she was hurt. George mentally kicked herself for not realizing what Alex had been up to sooner. Why had she allowed him into her heart? What was it about him that made him able to get to her in places that she had long ago locked away?

"George!" Camryn persisted.

"This has nothing to do with you," George retorted.

"Actually, this has everything to do with you, my dear," Dakhov chuckled. "Do you know who killed your mother?"

"Ivan Sokolov," Camryn answered.

"Good girl. I see you've been doing your homework, but did you know that he worked for me?"

"What?" Camryn's face fell as she realized what her uncle was telling her.

Shawn stopped in the middle of another punch to Alex's face. He released Alex's shirt, dropping him onto the concrete floor.

"That's right," Dakhov smirked. "I gave the order to murder your mother – my sister – a traitor."

"He's your uncle?!" George cried.

"What?!" Shawn chimed in. "Why didn't you tell me this?!"

"It was none of your business!" Camryn shouted back at him. "I needed the information, that was all."

"You promised I wouldn't get involved!"

Camryn stood up and faced Shawn. "Goddamnit! This isn't my fault! This didn't go the way I planned!"

"I thought we made a promise not to lie to each other."

George's mind was reeling. Did Camryn and Shawn have a history she didn't know about?

"I didn't lie!" Camryn protested angrily. "I was ignorant!"

"I don't care what you say! This is your fault, you whore!" Shawn shouted at the top of his lungs.

"What?!"

"How do you justify screwing around with Alex?!" George shouted, jumping into the argument.

"GODDAMNIT! Do you really think you're the only one who didn't know?!" Camryn screamed.

Over all the screaming, only Alex heard the alarm sound. He looked up at Dakhov. The man was grinning smugly with his hand over a red button on the wall. Alex scrambled to his feet and ran over to Dakhov. He kicked the Russian in the head, knocking him unconscious.

"If you're done bitching, there's a goddamn alarm going off," Alex yelled over the noise and ran toward the stairs.

* * *

Mr. Blunt stared at the papers sitting in front of him. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 

"Shawn Thomas?" he mused.

"I don't understand this at all," Mrs. Jones said. "He's been sighted with Agent Albright in Russia. Do those two have a history?"

Mr. Blunt looked up at the man who sat in front of his desk, beside Mrs. Jones. He was an American with slight Hispanic features. He had a serious, yet young and boyish face.

"Agent Garcia," Mr. Blunt said, "you trained Agent Albright. Do you have any idea what she's up to right now?"

"She's been sighted with a wanted man," Mrs. Jones explained. "Recent satellite feeds have shown that this Shawn Thomas and two of our agents have been captured. Agent Albright sent us a message saying, 'Problem, have a plan, details later.' What does this mean? You know her better than anyone."

Agent Milo Garcia smiled and shook his head. "It seems the CIA have failed to tell you that Agent Albright is a frequent rogue agent."

"You sent us a rogue agent?!" Mrs. Jones cried angrily. "This is not a mission to be taken lightly!"

"Camryn likes to the play the part of a double agent," Agent Garcia said calmly. "Trust me, she knows where her fidelity lies. She's a great actress and an incredible liar. That is what makes her our best agent."

"How can the CIA play games at such a serious situation?!" Mrs. Jones exploded.

"We're not playing games – especially when the welfare of our own country is also on the line. Agent Albright has reported to us the former Soviets' plan."

"Why hasn't she reported it to us?" Mr. Blunt asked, growing annoyed, but masking it with his gray face.

Agent Garcia shrugged. "She's still a CIA agent. She'll report to us first. Now, if you don't mind, I have to report to the Liaison Office to report on Agent Albright's progress."

* * *

Alex, George, Camryn, and Shawn piled into an SUV parked around the side of the building. Camryn yanked wires out from under the dashboard and fiddled with them. Once she hotwired the engine, it roared to life. She tore off down the newly paved roads away from the camp. The four of them rode in silence until Camryn stopped the car at a train station. 

"Okay, now what is going on?" George asked, turning the gun over and over in her hand.

"Dakhov's plan is to launch a nuclear strike on all the United Nations members," Camryn began to explain. "Ex-Soviets have been dealing nuclear weapons on the Black Market. Dakhov is buying from them. The weapons should be arriving today in about…" Camryn looked at her watch. "…sometime within the hour, which means we don't have that much time before he launches the strike. Dakhov already has the missile launchers in place. All he has to do is load them up and fire them off."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Shawn asked.

Camryn rattled a rapid line of Spanish. Shawn's expression softened. Alex was shocked by what Camryn said. George looked from Camryn to Shawn to Alex.

"What did she say?" she asked.

"Nothing," Camryn answered. "It's between Shawn and me."

Alex frowned. Camryn had kept enough secrets. It was time for things to spill. "She said that she owes him from Mexico. I'm not exactly sure what she means by that."

"Shut up, Alex," Camryn growled.

"You've kept enough secrets," Alex shot back.

"Shawn, what's going on between you and Camryn?" George asked.

Shawn looked to Camryn for an answer. Camryn just climbed out of the car and walked away. Shawn turned to his sister and Alex.

"Well, Camryn and I…"


	14. Love, Hate, and Hurt

**wow, i have no idea where you guys get your ideas about Camryn and Shawn. married? dating? friends with benefits? crazy imaginations people haha. you might want to read chapter 11 again. lol. so anyway, chapter 11. enjoy!**

* * *

Once Camryn was out of sight, she ran. She ran fast and she ran far. She didn't stop until she felt her legs go weak beneath her. She dropped to the ground and sat by the tracks. She was breathless more from despair than from the running. The world seemed to move in slow motion as she watched all her secrets unravel. No one had the right to know her secrets.

* * *

Shawn's voice trailed off. He looked at Alex and George who were anxiously waiting for the scoop. He sighed. 

"Camryn was on a mission in Mexico to save captives taken by Scorpia. Her team was recruiting locals as volunteers. I was in Mexico at the time, so I volunteered. The captives were trapped in an underground cave. We dug into the cave, and Camryn went down to help the captives climb out. Scorpia set off a hidden bomb and the cave collapsed, trapping Camryn underground. The tunnels down there were tight and small so there wasn't much oxygen." Shawn paused and took a deep breath. "The hostiles ambushed us, and a gunfight broke out. The team retreated and so did I. As I ran, I could hear Camryn screaming for help. I hid until the gunfire ceased. I went back and dug her out. It took hours, but I finally got her out. Then Scorpia goons came back and nearly killed us both."

"So she owes you her life," Alex said.

"You risked her life for someone you really didn't know," George said. "Why?"

Shawn shrugged. "She reminded me of you, baby girl. I couldn't help thinking, 'what if George was down there?' I couldn't let her die."

"Did you two keep in contact afterwards?" George asked. "Or did you meet up by chance."

"We kept in contact for informational purposes."

"You sold information?!"

"No, just swapped."

"So you know a good bit about Camryn?" Alex asked.

Shawn chuckled. "Mysterious, that one. I still know nothing about her."

* * *

Camryn shoved the train tickets into her pocket and went to sit on the bench by the tracks. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her forearms. She felt like a magnet for flawed people. She remembered the pain she felt when that girl showed up at Dan Walker's house, claiming that she was pregnant with his child. It was the worst turn a first relationship could take. And now Alex…he really was a complication. She couldn't believe how stupid she was. Even after what she had gone through with Dan, she still hadn't learned her lesson. Teenage boys were just as dangerous as a bullet through her heart. Now George hated her and probably wouldn't hesitate again to put a bullet in Camryn's head. And Camryn didn't want to get Shawn involved and lie to him, but she had to. Now her friendship with him was down the drain. And her uncle? She couldn't believe that he had killed her mother – not directly but still killed his own sister all the same. Camryn let go of everything she held onto and cried. She just didn't care anymore. She didn't care if the others saw her as weak and pathetic. She never wanted the drama. It just came unwanted. Suddenly, she felt the bench budge a bit. She looked up and found George sitting next to her. 

"You okay?" George asked gently.

"Yeah. What makes you think otherwise?" Camryn huffed. "I've just been played by someone who I thought was honest. I've lost two friends over something that was hardly my fault. And my uncle killed my mother. Yeah, I'm fine."

George laid her hand on Camryn's shoulder. "You know, you don't have to be strong all the time."

Camryn buried her face in her arms and cried again. "I didn't want all this to happen," she sobbed. "It's not my fault."

"I know," George said absently, not quite sure if she really meant it. "Look, I know how you feel – betrayed. I know how it feels to love someone but hate him at the same time."

"If you're talking about Alex, I don't love him – never did, so he's all yours," Camryn said bitterly.

George gave a small laugh. "After the whole me-you thing, I'm not sure me and Alex would work, which kind of sucks, but I'm not on about Alex."

"Then who are you on about?" Camryn said to her knees.

"Your uncle. Look, I know what it's like…to…to hate someone so much but…feeling like you have to love him."

"Yeah, right. Did your uncle kill your mom?"

"No, but my dad tried to kill my mum along with me," George said, wondering why she was telling Camryn something she had never spoken of before.

Camryn raised her head from her knees and looked up at George. George stared blankly ahead, showing no emotion.

"Are you serious?" Camryn confirmed.

George turned her now cold green eyes on Camryn. "I wish this was a joke."

"I'm sorry." Camryn looked back at her knees. "What happened?"

"My dad was the nicest man ever when he was in a good mood. When he flipped, he _really_ flipped. I know he always used to hit6 my mom, and I don't mean just a little smack – I mean a punch. My dad had been in the army, so he knew how to punch. When I hit about nine or ten, he started on me too. Out of nowhere, he would punch me over and over again. When I fell, he would kick and stomp…he broke countless bones over the years. If Shawn were around, he would lay into my dad, but one day, Shawn wasn't around."

Camryn looked back up at George, whose eyes had now glazed over as she remembered. George suddenly seemed a lot older than 14. "I was eleven. I came home from school and my dad was home. He asked me where my mum was. When I said I didn't know, he didn't like my answer and followed me upstairs to my room. When we were at the top of the stairs, he punched me and kicked me. I couldn't move by the time he was finished. He dragged me over the stairs. I was numb. I couldn't feel anything. I could barely see. I was covered in blood. That wasn't good enough for my dad though because I was still breathing. One final kick sent me down the stairs where he left me to die. Shawn came home five minutes after my dad left. He took my to the hospital and called the police. I didn't want to tell the police; I was too scared of what my dad would do, but Shawn made me. He promised he would look after me, and I believed him. My dad was put away for ten years. When I came home from the hospital with Shawn, my mum when mental. She yelled at Shawn, asking him how the hell he could put his own father away. Shawn walked out that day and never came back. A month or so later, my mum was murdered by an organization called Scorpia. Shawn still didn't come back."

"I'm so sorry, George, I didn't know," Camryn said quietly, still looking into George's clouded eyes. George shrugged.

"Neither did I," a voice behind them said. George and Camryn turned around. Alex and Shawn stood behind the bench.

"George, please let me explain what happened that day," Shawn said, stepping forward, but George stood up, shaking her head.

"No, there's nothing you can say." George walked away. Camryn got up to follow her, and Shawn moved toward his sister as well, but Alex stood in front of them.

"Let me talk to her," Alex said and ran after George before the other two could protest. Alex found George sitting beside a stonewall. A heavy gust of wind blew George's hair about her face.

"George?" Alex whispered, lowering himself so that he sat beside her.

"Alex, I really don't want to talk to you right now."

"George, I didn't mean to hurt you," he stammered, unsure of how to handle the situation. Alex really liked George, and he hated that he had hurt her.

"Then why did you?" George turned to him, catching him off guard with the question.

"I don't know. You're both so gorgeous. When I first saw you, I couldn't take my eyes off you. When we're alone and when I kiss you, it feels so right – it feels amazing…but…"

"But it feels the same with Camryn, right?"

Alex didn't reply. He just shamefully looked to the ground.

"It's okay, Alex – wait, no. It's not okay. I can't believe you played me, but we're still on a mission – a rather strange one at that." George took in Alex's face, covered with bruises. "Sorry about my brother. He disappears for three years then comes back thinking he can control me."

Alex looked back at George. "I deserve it."

"No one deserves to be hit by my brother. He was taught by my dad and trust me, he could hit."

"I'm sorry about your father."

"Wasn't your fault."

"Still." Alex decided a change of topic was probably a good idea. "Was it you who took Dakhov down?"

George nodded.

"How did you get out of the cell?"

"Alex, contrary to popular belief, I can look after myself, and I have been on four other missions alone and came out alive. Like yourself, I'm a spy. Getting out of a simple cell is easy. You should know that."

"Yeah. Sorry, I just felt like you needed protecting. No – I wanted to feel needed. I wanted you to want me to protect you. Do you get it?"

George smiled and nodded. "In a round about way, yeah, I do. Thanks, Alex. Come on, we have a train to catch." George stood up and pulled Alex to his feet. As he began to walk away, she said softly, "Alex, you are needed." She said it in barely a whisper, but Alex heard her. It caused him to stop in his tracks. George carried on walking. Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. He stroked her hair out of her face and held her firmly.

"I am so sorry, George," he whispered. George nodded and tried to pull away, but Alex was lost in her green eyes. He pushed her gently pushed her against the wall and crushed his lips against hers, letting his hands slide up her waist. Minutes later, George pulled breathlessly out of the kiss.

"Don't do this again, Alex." She pushed him away from her and walked away. Alex gathered his thoughts and once again kicked himself. Then he hurried after George.


	15. Failed Redemption

_Hello, thank you to everyone who has reviewed we are very greatful here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy and please do review. _

* * *

Camryn sat in the back of the almost empty train. She felt like being alone for a while. Her wishes were disturbed when Alex came back and sat beside her.

"Camryn, I-"

"Not now, Alex."

"Camryn, please. I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to hurt you, honest. I didn't want to. It just…well…"

"It just happened," Camryn finished for him, staring out the window.

Alex sighed, relieved that she understood. "Yeah."

Sensing his relief, Camryn turned to look at him.

"Well, if you can't forgive me, I understand."

"Good," Camryn said, "because you're not forgiven." She turned again and resumed staring out the window.

Alex was left gaping at her. That was completely unexpected. George had been willing to forgive and forget. But Camryn was…so…cold.

"But-" Alex began.

"Just because George is willing to forgive and forget doesn't mean that I am as well. You should know that I never forget." Camryn folded her arms defensively across her chest and added, "And I seldom ever forgive."

"Camryn, please. I want to make things right."

"How can you when you haven't learned your lesson yet?"

"What do you mean?"

Camryn faced him and frowned. "Do you really think all your actions go unseen? Unnoticed? Let's just say that you're lucky that Shawn didn't see what you did."

Alex sighed in distress. "Look, I can't help it that I'm attracted to both you and George. You can't blame me for that."

"True. But you _can_ be blamed for not having a bit more self-control."

"I'm a fifteen-year-old boy. What else do you expect?"

Camryn sighed and slouched in her seat. "I guess I haven't learned my lesson either."

"What lesson?"

"That teenage boys are just as deadly as a bullet through the heart."

"Bad experiences with boys?"

"Yeah."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"No. It's none of your business."

Alex was taken aback by her bold frankness. Camryn's gray eyes brimmed with tears as she thought about Dan again.

"You know, you remind me of my ex-boyfriend. Infidelity followed by the same pathetic excuses."

"Camryn, I'm really truly sorry. It won't happen again."

"Are you sure?"

"I promise."

Camryn turned away and stared out the window again. After a few moments of silence, she spoke quietly. "I don't trust you."

"I promise I-"

"Your promise means nothing to me. _You_ mean nothing to me."

Alex's heart plummeted into the bottom of his stomach. He opened his mouth but no sound came out.

"You don't mean that," Alex croaked dryly. "You had to have felt something with me."

"No, I never felt anything. You're attractive, that's all. I never felt anything."

"That's not true," Alex protested. "You have to have some feelings for me."

Camryn sighed. "Fine, I do – anger, hatred, resentment, disappointment, annoyance, irritability – just to name a few."

Alex couldn't believe this. This was beyond cold – it was cruel. He was making an attempt to apologize and correct his mistake, but she just shot him down again and again.

"What's it going to take for you to forgive me?" Alex asked desperately.

"There's nothing you can do," Camryn said without looking at him.

Alex sighed, deciding that he should just give up. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I hope you'll change your mind," he whispered.

"Don't hold your breath."

Alex winced at Camryn's scathing voice. He went back to his seat just as the train began to leave the station.

Camryn pulled her knees to her chest and curled up in her seat. She wrapped her arms around herself, but nothing would make the unsettling cold go away. _Liar, liar, liar,_ she screamed at herself in the back of her head. She buried her face in her arms and cried. Truthfully, the only place she wanted to be right now was in Alex's arms.

Suddenly, the trained stopped as soon as it had begun to move. Camryn was preoccupied with her sadness that she didn't realize what was happening. Dakhov and his men stormed the train and took Alex, George, and Shawn. Camryn finally snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the commotion. By the time she saw what was going on, it was too late. All three had been sedated and were being dragged off the train. Camryn felt a sharp pinch on her neck. Her vision blurred then went dark.

* * *

Alex woke up in a dimly lit cell. His head hurt and his vision was blurred.

"Finally, you're awake," George said.

"Where are we?" Alex asked.

"Don't know," Shawn said. "Dakhov shoved us in some kind of cell."

"We're in the underground nuclear arsenal," Camryn said quietly from the corner.

The door suddenly opened and a guard walked in. First he looked at Camryn, then George. Alex didn't like the furtive look on the man's face.

"She's mine," Alex growled. "Don't even think about it."

Shawn tensed. The guard smirked. "Then I'll take the other one," he said as he grabbed Camryn's arm and hauled her up.

Alex staggered to his feet. "She's mine too, so hands off."

The guard pulled his gun and pressed it to Camryn's temple. "Not anymore, boy."

Alex stood there and watched in horror as Camryn was led away. It was then that he noticed that neither Shawn nor George had made a move to protect Camryn.

"She has a plan," George said, as if reading his mind. She stood up and lifted the mattress of the cot. Beneath it were transmitters, bulletproof vests, a small pack of C-4, some crude, makeshift bombs, and various guns ranging from pistols to semi-automatics.

"You and Shawn will take out Dakhov's men," George said to Alex. "I'm going to find Camryn. Then we'll shut down the nukes once Camryn and I get the sub-circuit board from Dakhov."

Shawn stood up and pulled on a bulletproof vest. He picked up a semi-automatic and two clips of ammunition. He took the pack of C-4. "Suit up. We don't have time to waste."

As Alex and George equipped themselves, Alex spoke quietly to George so that Shawn wouldn't hear.

"George, why don't you work with Shawn? I want to be the one to find Camryn. I owe her this."

"Forget it," George said coldly. Then she said to Camryn through the transmitter, "We're about the blow the doors."

Alex waited while George blew the door open,

"I'm going to check the immediate surroundings, wait here a second." Shawn disappeared through the smoking hole where the door had been. Alex turned to George.

"I'm going after Cam." He stated.

"What so you can kiss her too?" Alex was surprised by the cold tone George had her back to him now, checking out her gun. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder she jerked it of.

"George I thought you were okay with me," George turned to Alex.

"You know what, I thought you were different from others guys but you're just the same. You only want to run of to save Cam so she's sees you as the hero and you'll have a chance with her seeing as I shot you down earlier." Alex tensed.

"That's not true, I just want to prove myself to her, show her I am different from other guys."

"But you're not!" George yelled, "you're just the same, you don't care about Cam's feelings or mine just about your flowing testosterone," George paused Alex opened his mouth to defend himself but George continued "I liked you, really liked you, and I thought you liked me, but you just love girls don't care who, where or when just as long as you get some."

"George that isn't true, please don't do this to me."

"Do what? Hurt you? Why? When you didn't care at all about hurting me. But I don't matter anymore do I? You want Camryn now don't you, well sorry Alex 1- Camryn requested I save her and 2- you'll probably try and sleep with her again."

"You can't stop me George," Alex turned to leave when he heard a gun cock. George was pointing her gun at his head her finger hovering over the trigger, "you wouldn't"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, do you really want to try me?" Alex sighed in defeat and stood aside.

"Good boy, now go with Shawn and I'll meet you on the other side," George pushed passed him and was part way out of the smouldering hole when she turned back "and try not to kiss anyone else on the way." A scream crackled through the transmitter in George's hand she looked down at it then back at Alex, "Well don't for wasting my time, I hope for your sake she's okay."

* * *

Camryn clumsily fought off the guard, buying time for the others to make their move.

"We're about the blow the door," George's voice said in Camryn's earpiece.

Camryn began screaming at the guard at the top of her lungs. She heard the faint explosion of the tiny chunk of C-4. The guard was too preoccupied to hear. Any minute now, George would come for her and kill the guard. Camryn would suit up and arm herself. Then the two of them would find Dakhov, take the sub-circuit board, kill him, then shut down the nukes.

The guard grabbed Camryn by her hair and bashed her head against the wall with a force that left her dazed. She hardly knew what was going on as the man took her clothes. She struggled against him as he dragged her to the bed and threw her on it. Camryn came to her senses and screamed. The man was caught off guard by the sudden, piercing scream and cringed. Camryn kicked him, but then he hit her back and climbed on top of her. He touched her first, feeling her body in places where she wouldn't even let Alex or Dan touch. He began grinding his body against hers, crushing her into the mattress. He moaned with excitement and arousal as Camryn continued to scream at him and plead him to stop. He sucked on her throat and groped her soft breasts. Then he pushed her legs apart and rested his hips between her legs. Camryn pleaded with his desperately.

Just then, the door flew open. A single bullet spiralled across the room and struck the man's head. Camryn shoved him off and looked up. George stood in the doorway with her gun held out at arm's length. She stepped into the room and closed the door as Camryn quickly pulled on her clothes.

"What took you so goddamn long?!" Camryn said angrily. "Thanks to you damn slow turtles, I was almost raped."

George shrugged. "Just wanted to see how good of a fighter you really are."

Camryn smiled a bit at George's attempt to lighten the mood.

"Oh yeah, and crushing Alex's big ego," George added. "He wanted to be the one to save you."

"_Pfft_," Camryn huffed as she took her bulletproof vest from George and buckled it on. "He just wanted to see me naked. Bastard…"

George smirked. "Probably. Hey, just remember to beat on Alex for wasting my time and making me late." She handed Camryn a gun – a SigSauer 9mm.

Camryn took the gun in her hand and unlocked the trigger. "My favorite. How did you know?"

George shrugged again. "Just guessed. I thought it was fitting for you."

Camryn chuckled. "I think I might end up liking you, kid. Let's go. I've got a psychotic uncle to track down."


	16. Cold and Unwanted

Alex stood aside as George pushed passed him, at a loss for words and feelings. Shawn appeared through the hole.

"Stop staring at my sister's ass and get out here, now!" he commanded.

Alex was still too lost to argue and followed Shawn out.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked quietly, trailing behind Shawn.

"To the arsenal, you prat. Do you know anything other than how to piss off the Thomas's?"

"The who's?" Alex muttered.

Shawn spun around and slammed Alex heavily into a wall. "You mean to say you tried it on with my sister without even knowing her name?!" he growled.

"No, no, of course not, I just temporarily forgot."

Shawn released Alex and continued on down the corridor. Alex remained close behind. Shawn halted at a doorway listening intently. "Here's the arsenal, kid. Stay down and stay quiet."

Alex nodded, a little annoyed at being bossed around by Shawn but smart enough to not argue. Shawn kicked the door. The hinges gave way under the force and it slammed to the floor.

"So much for keeping quiet," Alex muttered.

Shawn appeared not to hear him though. Gunfire immediately erupted. Shawn pushed Alex to the floor then threw himself down.

"I don't think we're alone anymore," Alex said rolling to his right to avoid a bullet. He came to rest behind a low-lying wall. _Perfect,_ he thought. _Best position to be in. I am so ready to shoot some idiots after the crappy day I've had._ Alex crouched behind the wall. Holding the gun at eye level he peered over. Shawn was crouched behind a further low-lying wall aiming his gun. Alex ducked as a bullet spiraled over his head, close enough to make his hair move.

"Shawn!"

"Sorry, thought you were the enemy," Shawn growled. "Won't happen again. I can almost promise that."

Alex pointed his gun at Shawn. "I have much better aim of you from here than you do of me so stick to the enemy," Alex retorted aiming his gun and shooting the gun out of an attacker's hand that was just about to shoot Shawn, and then Alex shot the attacker.

Shawn shot another attacker then a thick Russian coated voice called out, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"You know both those answers," Shawn replied.

"We're under orders to kill you if you give yourselves up though we may give you mercy."

Alex and Shawn both found themselves laughing.

"You should be begging us for mercy!" Shawn yelled.

Gunfire erupted across the room from both sides. Alex was still sore from his earlier beating from Shawn, so he was moving slightly slower than he normally would. Alex didn't know how much time had passed or how many hostiles he had shot, but finally, the only guns going off where his and Shawn's. They both ceased firing and lowered their weapons.

"Right, come on, kid!" Shawn yelled through the cloud of smoke.

"I wish you would stop calling me that," Alex huffed.

"Why, it's what you are, kid."

Alex gritted his teeth in annoyance and followed Shawn, his mind drifting to George and Camryn. _Are they okay? Did George reach Camryn in time?_ Alex asked himself. _Why are they both still so angry with me? How could I have been so stupid?_

* * *

George and Camryn stopped in front of Dakhov's office. George pulled out a crude bomb Camryn had made and stared blankly at it.

"What's wrong?" Camryn asked.

"How do I use this thing?"

"Give me the detonator."

"Detonator? There's a detonator?"

Camryn rolled her eyes. "Nice. Grab the bomb but forget the thing to blow it up."

George frowned. "Well, next time, leave me a note pointing to the detonator."

Camryn sighed and took the bomb from George. She placed it at the base of the door. The two took cover around the corner. Camryn unlocked her gun and fired at the bomb. The explosive blasted the door open. The two girls ran into the office. Dakhov lay on his back in the middle of the room, motionless. Camryn and George began searching for the sub-circuit board. George rummaged through the desk while Camryn checked her uncle's pockets. George picked up a small black case from the desk drawer and opened it. Inside was a green computer chip with circuitry running all over it.

"Is this it?" George asked, holding it up for Camryn to see.

"Yeah, that's it."

"What exactly is this thing?" George wondered, turning the green and silver jungle of metal and plastic over in her hand.

"It's a sub-circuit board. It's a computer component that controls nuclear weapons. This one has been programmed to control the nukes that Dakhov had shipped here today. We'll need that circuit board to disable the weapons and render them useless. Then we'll have to destroy it."

"Then what do we do with the nukes?"

Camryn shrugged. "We'll leave that for the CIA and MI6 to argue out. Leave the messy work for them."

"And this isn't messy?" George chuckled.

Camryn shrugged again. "I'd rather do this than debate with Mr. Blunt and my superiors."

"That's true."

The two girls left the room. Suddenly, George stopped and turned back for a brief moment.

"Hey, Cam, what about Dakhov?"

Camryn didn't stop. She kept her eyes forward and kept walking. "Leave him. He's dead."

George caught up to Camryn and they both headed down to the arsenal. Camryn crept up to the knocked down door and peered inside. There was a flash of movement. Camryn frowned, aimed her gun, and fired. The bullet hit Alex's bulletproof vest and knocked him off his feet.

Alex sat up angrily. "What the hell?!"

Camryn shrugged with indifference. "Sorry, thought you were a hostile."

George pulled out her gun and fired a bullet into Alex's vest. Alex was knocked back onto the floor.

"What the hell was that for?!" Alex shouted.

George shrugged. "I don't know. It looked kinda fun." She pulled the sub-circuit board out of her pocket and handed it to Camryn. Camryn went over to a desk in the corner and sat down. Her face immediately fell with despair. She put her face down on the desk. George and Shawn walked over to her. Alex got up and followed.

"What's wrong?" Shawn asked.

Camryn looked up at George. "You forgot to tell them to be careful not to shoot the computer. I need a computer to hook this thing up to the nukes."

"Oh…oops," George mumbled.

"Okay, no big deal," Camryn sighed. "Um…there's a laptop in my room. It'll take a while to hook up my laptop to this system and program it, but it'll work. If I don't come back in ten minutes, call MI6 and tell them to deploy troops to this location immediately." She headed out of the arsenal.

"I'll come with you," Alex said, starting after her.

"No thanks."

"You can't go alone," Alex protested.

Camryn spun around. "God, Alex! Don't you know when you're not wanted?!" She spun on her heel and left.

Alex felt a miserable cold settle into his body. He wanted to run after Camryn and plead for forgiveness. He caught George giving him a murderous glower. Suddenly, the lights blacked out. A single bullet was fired into the darkness. Then there was the heavy thud of a falling body.


	17. Imploding Explosives

**Alright people, I've been reading the reviews for this chapter and there's something you need to understand. Yeah, I know Camryn's being a bitch, but you have to look at her situation. The same guy who broke her heart just killed her uncle. I don't know about you guys, but I'd go pretty ballistic too. And George and Camryn DO NOT really hate each other. Really, the two are like sisters (if you've paid close attention while reading), but they're both tense about what happened between the two of them and Alex. (just to save my integrity as a writer)  
**

* * *

Camryn reached the room that she had shared with George. She collapsed onto the couch and held her head in her hands. She had a terrible headache, and her stomach was churning in sickening circles. She couldn't believe what had happened. She never let anyone touch her that way – not even Dan. Luckily, George came when she did. But still…for the somewhat brief time she was on that bed, all she could think about was Alex. She imagined Alex bursting into the room, shooting the guard, and then taking her into his arms and telling her that everything was okay. But there was a good reason why Camryn had specified that she wanted George to come for her. Alex was just a testosterone bomb ready to explode at any second. 

Camryn shook off her thoughts and grabbed her laptop and connecting cables. She ran outside and went back to the underground arsenal.

* * *

The lights flickered back on. Alex looked around. Nothing in the arsenal seemed different. He heard George yell behind him and swung around, his eyes widening at the scene. Shawn was on the floor with his hand clamped over a wound on his leg, screaming in pain. Dakhov loomed over Shawn, a gun pointed at Shawn's head. Alex quickly grabbed George as she made a run towards her brother. He gripped her around the waist as she tried furiously to get away from him. 

"I knew I should have shot you when I had the chance," George yelled straining against Alex's grip.

Dakhov smirked, "Always follow your instincts. Now my lovely niece – where is she?"

"Yeah right," Shawn muttered from the floor.

Dakhov looked down at him with a look of disgust. Slowly he raised his left foot and stamped it down on Shawn's wound.

Shawn gave a strangled yell as more blood spurted and the pain seared. "You son of a bitch!"

Dakhov unlocked his gun, once again aiming it at Shawn's head.

"No!" George yelled out continuing to struggle.

"George please, stop moving," Alex hissed.

Dakhov laughed, momentarily distracted. Alex reached behind him and pulled out his gun from his waistband. Before Dakhov had time to react Alex had brought the gun around and fired three shots. The gun in Dakhov's hand clattered to the floor. It seemed to play out in slow motion as Dakhov slumped to the floor in a dead weight. As he fell, he looked up at Alex, his eyes momentarily alight. He thudded to the floor and the ex-Soviet breathed his last.

Alex lowered his gun and released George, who immediately ran over to Shawn. She pulled her jacket off and pressed it against his wound.

George stared at her brother. She had never seen him so white, and he was shaking. "Alex, I think Shawn's going into shock," she called out. "Okay, this mission is over – I'm calling MI6."

* * *

Camryn pushed open the door to the arsenal. 

"Oh my god!" she cried and nearly dropped her laptop. Shawn lay sprawled on the floor with a bullet wound in his leg where the bulletproof vest didn't protect him. George was knelt next to him, cradling his head in her lap. A few meters away lay Edik Dakhov with three bullet wounds in his chest. And there was Alex – holding the smoking gun.

"What the hell happened?!" Camryn shouted.

"Dakhov came in and shot Shawn," Alex explained.

"Did you kill him?"

"Dakhov? Yeah."

"You moron!" Camryn dropped her laptop on the floor and punched Alex in the face. George stood up and restrained the angry American.

"Camryn, stop it," George said. "He had to do it. I'm sorry, but Dakhov tried to kill us. We couldn't just sit here and do nothing."

"You son of a bitch!" Camryn screamed. "Don't you think you've done enough damage?!"

George took Camryn into an arm lock to keep her from lashing out at Alex. "Camryn!" George shouted. "Will you cut it out?! I know you're upset, but just calm down!"

Camryn went limp in George's arm lock and began to cry. "He was all I had left of my mother," she sobbed.

"I understand how you feel," Alex said gently, taking a step toward Camryn. "My parents died when I was just a baby. Then my uncle was-"

"You have no idea how I feel!" Camryn shouted. "You didn't know your parents! I did!"

"Will you two shut up?!" George shouted. "This isn't helping anyone!"

"You know what, Camryn? You're a hypocrite," Alex retorted. "Weren't you always the one yelling at me to be objective?"

"Alex, shut up!" George yelled at him. "Go sit your ass down and clamp it!"

"You're in no position to give me orders!"

"Do what she says," Camryn growled. "You're right, George doesn't give you orders – I do."

George gave a small growl she released Camryn and pushed her towards the wall.

"Hey, watch it -" Camryn stopped short when she received a deathly glare from George.

"You two can carry on your stupid domestic about who is more hurt about losing their parents, which, by the way, is the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" George yelled. "I am nobody's third wheel."

Now George turned back to Shawn, she had never seen him so white and he was shaking. Neither Alex nor Camryn argued. They both were too shocked by George's outburst.

The arsenal door burst open and soldiers filed in quickly. Camryn stood up. "Stand down," she said. "It's clear." The soldiers obeyed her and lowered their weapons.

_When did _she_ get so much power_, George wondered with scorn.

Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones entered. Camryn walked over to them and debriefed them on the situation. She handed them her laptop, and Mrs. Jones handed Camryn a set of keys.

"Good work, Agent Albright. Now, I want you to drive Alex and George to the airport in Moscow."

Camryn snatched the keys from the woman's hand. "Screw you. They're your problem – not mine." She turned to leave without Alex and George. "Oh, by the way, we need a medic over here," Camryn said, gesturing to Shawn.

George jumped up and lunged at Camryn with fury. Camryn ducked out of the way and shoved George. George swung around and kicked Camryn in the side. Camryn stumbled backward from the force. George punched Camryn in the side of her head, knocking her to the floor.

"You really piss me off!" George shouted. "You think you're so great. You're not the only spy around here, you know. You think you know everything!"

"You know what I really hate?" Camryn growled. "I hate kids who think they're so tough." Camryn swept George off her feet. She jumped up and readied herself for George's next attack.

Mr. Blunt, Mrs. Jones, and the soldiers just stood there, stunned and confused. Alex was just as shocked.

George charged at Camryn again, landing a punch in Camryn's stomach. Camryn thrust her index and middle fingers into George's shoulder, knocking her off balance. She caught George's arm and locked George's leg. She put her foot on George's knee, but then stopped.

"You don't want to make an enemy of me," Camryn warned.

George smirked. "Right back at you." She took her leg from under Camryn's foot and kicked her in the chest. Camryn gasped from the air being knocked out of her lungs and stumbled backward. George went to punch her again, but she grabbed George's fist and twisted her arm behind her back. She slammed George into the wall then forced her down onto her knees.

"Restrain your agent," Camryn ordered the soldiers. None of them moved. Camryn scowled. "Do you really want to make an enemy of the United States?"

The soldiers moved to obey orders.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Camryn grumbled, walking out of the arsenal.

George went after Camryn again, but she was restrained by one of the soldiers. She easily fought him off, so two more soldiers had to help to hold George down.


	18. GoodBye

Alex's footsteps echoed through the deserted corridor as he made his way to the reception desk where a tired looking woman in her mid-twenties was trying to answer three ringing phones at once. Alex waited until the women whose nametag read "Eve" had finished on the phone. He was in no rush. In fact, he wasn't at all sure why he was even there.

"Sorry about that," Eve said turning to Alex. "How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a friend of mine. He was admitted a few days ago with a gun shot to the leg – Shawn Thomas."

Eve gave a small smile. "Ah Shawn, yes he's here. You see those stairs over there?" Eve pointed to door leading to a staircase. Alex nodded. "Well go up to the next floor. He's in the third room on your right. If you get lost, I'm pretty sure the nurses will know where he is."

Alex gave a small smile. "Thanks."

Eve winked at him and then sighed as the phone began ringing.

Alex followed Eve's instructions and in a few minutes found himself outside of the third door on the right. He gulped, knocked lightly on the door, and then entered the room. Shawn was sat up in the hospital bed, his injured leg elevated but other than that he seemed somewhat unharmed.

"Ah look who it is – the kid," Shawn grinned as Alex sighed and closed the door. "She's not here, Alex."

"Who isn't?" Alex asked wandering over to the bed and sitting down on the vacant chair beside it.

"Georgina – well George, she's not here, so wasted visit mate."

"I didn't come to see George. Okay, yeah, I did but I came to see you first."

Shawn raised an eyebrow at Alex. "Now why would that be, wish to ask my permission for her hand in marriage?"

To his own astonishment Alex found himself laughing. "No, Shawn, I came to see how you are, and I figured, seeing as you currently can't walk, you probably wouldn't be able to kick my ass again."

Now Shawn laughed. "I could still kick your ass – just don't give me reason to. Mind you, you've given me enough reason to kick your ass for eternity – you hurt her Alex."

Alex looked to the floor ashamed, "I know and, Shawn, I swear I didn't mean to. She's just so…"

"So amazing, so beautiful, so funny, so strong?" Shawn finished Alex nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I got a bit caught up. I came to apologize."

"Well at the moment you're apologizing to the wrong person, but I'll pass on the message. I don't want you going near her again."

Alex felt fury rising up through him. "You total hypocrite!" he found himself yelling. "You disappeared and left her for three years – she thought you were dead! And now you come back and think you can control her and play big brother again?!"

"Ahem."

Alex looked up.

George was stood in the doorway of the hospital room, looking totally gorgeous in a purple halter dress that stopped just below her knees. A diamond necklace clung to her neck with matching earrings hanging from her ears. Her hair was up yet tumbling down, and she had on high silver shoes that lengthened her legs. Her face was perfectly made up. Her green eyes shone brighter than Alex had ever seen, and her lips looked so kissable. Alex could have sworn his jaw had dropped and his heart stopped.

George ignored Alex at first and went straight to her brother.

"Hey, baby girl," Shawn said, his face lighting up. "Dress up for me, did you?"

George just laughed. She leaned down and kissed Shawn's head.

"Hey, stop that!" Shawn cried jokingly. "I don't want make up in my hair!"

Now Shawn looked at Alex. "He's drooling," Shawn said snapping Alex out his trance. He threw Alex a dirty look. "Want me to kick him out?"

"How do you plan on doing that Shawn? Alex is right – you can't suddenly be the big protective brother," George said.

Shawn ignored George. "I want to come to the wedding."

Alex was reminded of a small child demanding his own way.

George sighed. "We've discussed this – you're in no state." George's eye flicked to the clock besides the bed. "I have to go. I will be back to check on you later. It was nice seeing you again, Alex." She turned to leave.

Alex jumped up out of his seat. "Where are you going?"

"One of our cousins is getting married at a nearby church so I'm going there." George smiled, opening the door. Alex looked at Shawn who was glaring at him and then at George who was already out of the room.

"Wait!" he yelled after her running from the room. He grabbed George's arm as she made it to the staircase.

"Is there something you want Alex?" She asked. "It's just I don't want to be late."

"You look beautiful. You'll outshine the bride," Alex said, grinning.

George blushed.

And then there was a tense silence. "George, I really am so sorry."

"I know, Alex, the past week has been really crazy." George sat down on the top stair. Alex sat beside her. "Been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I'm not going to pretend you didn't hurt me, 'cause you did."

Alex placed his hand on George's, quite surprised when she didn't pull it away. "George what can I do? How can I make this right?"

"I don't think there's anything you can do. It'll take time and who knows, I might never see you again."

"I hope what you just said isn't true." Alex tilted George's chin so she was looking at him. "You really do look beautiful." Before Alex knew what he was doing he had leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. George turned her head away.

"Alex, don't, you don't really care about me."

"Yes I do – more than you know. I would go to the ends of the earth for you. When I look at you my heart skips a beat. When we're together even your brother doesn't matter."

"But you feel the same way about Camryn!" George yelled tears forming in her eyes. "We're not toys Alex, you can't just pick us up when you want to play, and then drop us again hoping we don't break."

"I know, but George you can't deny there's something between us. I see the look in your eyes; you want this as much as I do. If I didn't feel this strongly about you why would I be here today?"

"You traveled all the way to Bristol to see me?"

Alex could see George was softening he nodded.

"Yeah, I had to see you again, and I had to do this." Before George could interrupt, Alex had pulled her up from the stair, spun her around, pushed her against the wall and kissed her more deeply and passionately than ever before. After what seemed like eternity Alex pulled out of the kissed breathlessly. He looked at George. Their faces still inches apart. She was chewing her bottom lip nervously. Alex smiled to himself when he realized her arms were still around his neck.

"This doesn't mean you've won me over – it just means I'm waiting for the right time to push you off of me."

Now Alex began laughing. "Stop playing hard-to-get, please, it's driving me insane. I don't care what it takes. You can lock me in a room with your brother for as long as you want, or make me swim across the channel, or…or… walk to Paris. Whatever it takes, I'll do anything for you."

"Words mean nothing, Alex."

"Okay, but don't you feel it when I kiss you? Don't you feel how much you mean to me?" Alex pressed his body hard against George's.

George tried to fight the feeling of wanting to melt into his arms, but the closer he got to her the harder it became. He made her feel special like no one else had done before. He wanted to protect her, but not treat her like a child, and of course, Alex was gorgeous. His lips drew closers to hers. She could feel his breath. She felt her lips trembling and her body melting. She squeezed her eyes shut, tensed her body, pulled her hands away from his neck, and pushed him – shaking while she did so.

Alex looked hurt. "George?"

George shook her head. "I'm going to be late for the wedding. I'm coming up to London in a few days. I need to talk to Mr. Blunt. Maybe I'll see you then."

A glimmer of hope rushed through Alex. "Really? Yeah, when? I'll meet you at the Royal & General."

"Play it by ear, Alex, I'm not promising anything." George took a deep breath desperately trying not to cry and began to descend the stairs. Alex realized how quickly he was losing her. He jumped down the stairs and landed in front of her.

"George, I need you. I can't watch you walk away from me." Alex placed his hands on her hips then slid them up to her waist. "Remember back in your room at the school – on your bed?" He pushed her against the wall again. "Holding you in my arms is the best thing in the world – almost as good as kissing you."

George gave in. Alex was right. As much as she hated it, Alex was right. She wanted this just as much as he did. George slid her hands up his strong chest, then around his neck, running her fingers through his blonde hair.

"Kiss me one last time Alex, then I'm going."

Alex smiled. "I'm going to miss you," he whispered before he gently butterfly kissed her neck then took her head in his hands and slowly kissed her, allowing nothing else to matter except himself and George. While they kissed George ran her fingers through his hair. Alex gripped her waist and then stroked her back. He couldn't believe how amazing it felt to be kissing George properly again. All too soon, though, she pulled away.

"I have to go," she said quietly. "Don't worry, Alex, I'm sure you'll forget me soon enough."

Alex shook his head. "No…no, I won't," he said softly, releasing George and stepping back. He watched sadly as she disappeared down the stairs.

* * *

Camryn sat on the bench in the park until it was dark. The only lights were the dim half moon and the street lamps. The next day, she would be on a plane back to the United States. She stood up to head home when a strong hand gently touched her shoulder. Camryn tensed and prepared herself to fight.

"Relax, Camryn," a soothing voice said. "It's only me."

"What do you want?" Camryn asked without turning around.

"I want you to listen."

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say."

"Camryn, please, just listen to me. I'm not like other guys. I'm not what you think."

"Alex, stop trying to be something you're not. You _are_ just like other guys. I don't know why I thought you were different." Camryn began to walk away. Alex caught her arm and pulled her back. He turned her around so that she was now facing him. "Let me go, Alex."

"Do you really want me to?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I know you still think about me," Alex said softly. "I can tell by the way you're looking at me now."

Camryn opened her mouth to argue, but just looked away. She hated herself for still wanting him after the way he had hurt her. She hated him for knowing how she felt.

Alex sensed Camryn's unease. "It's okay, Camryn."

"Yeah, it's okay for you, isn't it? The more I think about you, the easier it is for you to get in my pants, right?"

"I wish you'd stop thinking like that."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want things to be okay between us. I want you to forgive me."

"You know, that's a lot to ask of me after what you did. You played me, and then killed my uncle."

"I know, and I'm sorry – for both things," Alex said quietly, stroking Camryn's arm. "You have to believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you."

Camryn pushed away from him. "I'm going home tomorrow, so you should forget about me."

Alex pulled her back, closer this time. "Don't you get it, Camryn? I don't want to forget you."

"Why? We hardly know each other."

"Because, when I'm with you, I feel like nothing matters. Everything is just…okay. My life over the past year has felt like a storybook – so fake. But when I'm with you, everything feels real."

"Really?" Camryn challenged, wanting to believe him, but not wanting to believe him at the same time.

"Really," Alex whispered. He drew Camryn closer and kissed her. Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Everything disappeared. Only Alex, Camryn, and the stars in the night sky remained.

Camryn abruptly ended the kiss. "But you feel the same way about George," she said quietly.

"Yeah, I do. I won't lie."

Camryn backed away and shoved her hands awkwardly into the pockets of her jeans. "I should go home. It's late."

"But the night is still young," Alex said with a charming flair as he swept her off her feet into a cradle. Camryn squealed in shock and threw her arms around Alex's neck.

"Put me down!" she cried with a giggle in her voice.

Alex spun her around then set her back on her feet, but he didn't let go of her. "I'm going to miss you, Camryn."

Camryn didn't reply. She just let Alex hold her.

"I wish you could stay," Alex whispered in her ear.

Camryn nodded. "I should go."

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

Camryn raised her eyebrow. "You think I can't take care of myself?"

"No, no," Alex said quickly. "It's just that…well…um…"

"It's okay. I'll be fine." Just as she was about to leave, Alex called out for her. Camryn turned around.

"I want to see you again," Alex said, "before you leave."

"I leave early tomorrow morning. Sorry."

Alex sighed with disappointment. "I guess this is good-bye then."

"Yeah, guess so."

To Alex's surprise, Camryn wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him one last blissful kiss. "I'll miss you, Alex."


	19. Just When You Think Its All Over

_Hey people, really sorry this chapter took so long to get up, but we think its worth the wait it is a bit long but we hope you'll like. This is the final chapter to have fun reading xxx_

* * *

George pushed the call button and watched as the little arrows illuminated. Behind the heavy silver doors came a faint mechanical whirring. George waited for about ten seconds before watching the door slide apart to reveal a metal cubicle. She stepped inside and pressed another button, causing the number to illuminate like the arrow had done. The doors silently closed and George became engulfed in the whirring as she and the cubicle were pushed upwards by invisible hands. George leaned against the cool wall of the lift, wondering why on earth she was back at the Royal & General and on her way to see Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones. In George's black across-the-shoulder bag, a file rested, waiting to be handed over to MI6. George kept telling herself all she had to do was hand over the file explaining the details of the mission from her perspective and then walk out and go back to Bristol.

George had arranged to meet Alex at the tube station. She intended on having a coffee with him and shortly after leaving, she refused to be caught up between him and Camryn again.

The lift stopped and George stepped out into the bland corridor. Slowly, she walked up to the door of Mr. Blunt's office. Knocking lightly, she entered before anyone could answer. Alan Blunt and Tulip Jones sat on either side of Mr. Blunt's desk. George pulled the file from her bag and tossed it onto the desk.

"Ah, than you very much, Georgina. Now if you would take a seat-"

"Take a seat?" George cut Mrs. Jones off. "You've got to be joking. There's your debrief. Now I'm going. I have a train home to catch."

"Georgina, we did not ask you to come here just to deliver a file?" Mr. Blunt asked.

George shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. All the information you need is in the file." George turned to leave.

"Okay, Georgina, it's understandable. We only want to go over what is in the file," Mrs. Jones reasoned.

"I can write English – it's clear as day. Unless the reason you brought me here was to tell me about another mission." George raised an eyebrow.

"No, not this time."

"So can I go? Or is there anything else?"

Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones exchanged looks.

"What?" George asked, seeing the look and not liking it.

"Nothing, Georgina, you may go. We will be in contact," Mr. Blunt said.

George's hand hovered over the door handle as Mr. Blunt spoke.

"I don't doubt that, Mr. Blunt, but I request you at least give me a few weeks to enjoy my summer." George walked out the door. She paused outside the door, which was still ajar and began searching her bag for her phone. Just as her fingers grasped it, voices from within the office caused her to drop it again and turn back to the door.

"Do you think we should have told her?" Mrs. Jones' voice drifted into the corridor.

"Even if she would have given us the chance, I don't think it would have been wise," came Mr. Blunt's reply.

"Scorpia killed her mother. It's likely that they're going to come after again now."

"They may not."

"Do you really want to risk that?"

"Do we have a choice?"

_Scorpia? Back? Me?_ George's mind raced. "I have to go see Alex," she muttered to herself and ran the length of the corridor, jamming her finger against the call button until the lift arrived. George reached the foyer and ran across it so fast that her feet barely touched the polished marble. She burst out of the large heavy wooden doors, not waiting for the guard to open them for her. She fell into the busy street, momentarily confused and enclosed from all sides by people.

"I hate London when it's like this. Where the hell is the tube station?"

George headed off in what she thought was the right direction. The noisy street was giving George a headache, so she headed off down a smaller, quieter street. She had used the shortcut many times before when leaving the Royal & General and heading for the tube. But something about the street was differently today. It was too quiet, too empty. What was going on? George allowed her instincts to take over. Someone or some people were behind her, in the shadows, walking in step with her. George's pace quickened, as did the footsteps closing in on either side. George stopped. Suddenly, the footsteps continued for a moment, and then stopped.

"You lot really suck at this," George called into the air. "Come on, I know you're there. You may as well come out."

"Sorry, we don't reach your expectations, Miss Thomas. I shall pass your concerns onto my boss." A tall hooded man stepped out of the shadows. Four others followed suit. George realized that she was heavily outnumbered and surrounded. Immediately, she kicked out her foot, making contact with the man behind her, and plunged it into his groin. George listened to the satisfactory groan and thud as the man doubled over. She spun around with a roundhouse kick to his head. The force knocked the man aside, clearing an escape path for George. George launched off the balls of her feet and sprinted down the empty street. She heard the footsteps pounding on the pavement behind her.

"Don't let her get away! And whatever you do, make sure she doesn't contact Agent Albright!"

George took a sharp turn and continued running. As she ran, she wondered how Camryn was tied into all of this. She had to get to the airport. She had to find Camryn somehow before these men could get to her. George heard the footsteps gaining gradually. There was no way she could make it to Heathrow Airport on foot and outrun the hostiles. George swerved left onto another street and dove into the café on the corner. There were only a few people sitting around. George jumped over the cashier's counter and ran into the back room. Some of the people shrieked.

"Hey!" the cashier called after her.

George cursed under her breath. The commotion would lead those men right to her. She dashed out the backdoor and looked around, trying to find something to help her hide or get away. There was a motorcycle parked there with the key in the ignition. George had never ridden a motorcycle before, but she rode a scooter quite often. It couldn't be too different. Without hesitation, George jumped onto the bike and revved the engine. She flipped the kickstand with her foot and tore off across the alleyway. In less than a minute, she was back on the main road, heading toward the airport. She heard the hostiles open fire on her. She ducked low on the bike and manoeuvred in a zigzagging path. George stayed on smaller, less crowded roads. She was driving recklessly over the speed limit, and she was underage for driving. The police were the last thing she needed to run into. Suddenly, she heard another engine roar behind her. She quickly glanced back. A large, black SUV was on her tail. George swerved a tight left turn, cutting close to a car parked on the side of the road. The bulky SUV had to slow down to take the turn. This gave George time to speed down the street to the next right turn. Now she was out in the open on the main street. It was crowded but that didn't matter. She had a straight shot to the airport, and at the speed she was riding, it'd only take her less than five minutes.

George skidded to a halt just outside of the heaving Heathrow. Hurriedly she pushed on the kickstand and jumped off the bike than ran into the airport. George stopped for a moment once she was inside, gasping for breath and frantically looking around. She leaned over, hands on her knees, panting, when two boots appeared in front of her, George looked up relieved when she saw that there were two security guards standing in front of her. She smiled.

"That your bike out there?" one asked nodding to the bike. "Only it's in a no

park zone and you look a little young." George caught the sneer in the man's voice. She looked at him. He cockily rolled up his sleeves. George's eyes fixed on a tattoo on the mans wrist – it was a black scorpion.

"I have a plane to catch," George lied and began to leave.

Both men grabbed her by the shoulders and began to drag her away they were too strong for her fight.

* * *

Camryn stood impatiently on the opposite side of the security checkpoint as Uncle Jon walked through the metal detector. Once he was through, he picked up his things and continued with Camryn toward the terminal.

"I've never seen you so anxious before, Cami," Jon laughed.

"I really want to go home."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you – Dan called for you while you were gone. He never left a message for me to pass on. He wanted to talk to you personally."

Camryn froze. "Dan?"

"Yeah. You should give him a call back."

"Why?" Camryn grumbled. "He's the last person I want to talk to." I'd rather talk to Alex than Dan… she thought.

"Cami, he called eleven times…in two days!"

"Did you tell him I was away on a mission?"

"No, I just said you were away. I thought he'd catch on. I told him that you'd be gone for at least a few days. Then he stopped calling."

Camryn shrugged. "Oh well, it's already been a week, so I won't bother to call him back. He probably forgot by now."

"Camryn," Jon said sternly. "I know he hurt you, but just talk to him. I think it's something important."

"Whatever."

Suddenly, Camryn glimpsed a familiar face in the crowd. Then her phone beeped with a new voicemail message. She opened the phone and listened to the message.

"Camryn? Camryn, it's George. I need to warn you about-" _Click._

Camryn frowned and replayed the message. Then she snapped the phone shut. She scanned the crowd again for that familiar face she swore she had seen. A dirty-blonde head bobbing up and down in the crowd caught Camryn's eye. The girl turned around. Her green eyes made deliberate contact with Camryn – George.

"Camryn?"

Camryn looked around at her uncle who was setting his luggage down.

"Here's our terminal. Are you alright? You're sort of spacey."

"Yeah, I'm okay." She set her luggage down. "I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Camryn disappeared into the crowd. Where had George gone? Suddenly, she caught George's emerald stare again. Camryn pushed through the crowd. Soon enough, the crowd thinned out. Camryn found herself in an almost deserted corridor. She kept going. She needed to know what George wanted to warn her about. Why hadn't George been able to finish her message? Had something happened to her? Was this a setup? Camryn spotted George's dirty-blonde hair. She jogged toward her.

"George! George!"

George didn't turn around. The corridor was completely empty now.

Suddenly, the door of the janitor's closet flew open. A man leaped out and grabbed George around the waist. He spun her around so that Camryn could see her face. He held a knife to George's throat. Camryn had never seen George so scared as she mouthed the words "I'm sorry". Luckily Camryn had CIA clearance to carry a gun. She reached back for her gun, but it wasn't there. Someone grabbed her around the waist, and a man's hand held a cloth over her face. Camryn elbowed the man the ribs. Then she heard a muffled scream. The other man had his hand over George's mouth. The blade in his hand had a dribble of blood on it. George had a thin line of blood running from just under her collarbone.

Then Camryn understood. The message was a setup. These people had taken George and used her to get Camryn. The man behind Camryn clamped the cloth harder over her mouth and nose. She struggled to breathe. The man facing her raised his knife to George's throat. Camryn tried to scream at him. George desperately grabbed the man's wrist and tried to pull the blade away. But then Camryn realized that getting the knife away wasn't George's intent. She had pulled back the man's sleeve a few inches. Then she twisted the man's wrist, knocking the knife out of it and revealing the tattoo on the underside of his wrist. She shot Camryn a grave look before the man struck her neck, knocking her unconscious. Camryn's eyes widened at the sight of the tattoo. Scorpia.

* * *

Alex sat in front of his computer, bored. He had nothing to do and wasn't sure what to do with himself. Suddenly, the monitor flickered off. Alex frowned then sighed. The computer must have overheated or something. Then the screen flickered back on. Two men in ski masks appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Alex Rider," one of the men said. "I know you are wondering who we are. Names are not important, but you should know that we work for Scorpia. After you shut down Invisible Sword, revenge is fitting, and what a better time than now? We have…objects of interest." Then man paused as if waiting for an answer.

Experimentally, Alex picked up the computer microphone. "What kind of objects of interest?"

"Bring the girl."

The man that hadn't spoken was off the screen for a moment then he was back with a girl. The girl had dirty-blonde hair and was unconscious. Her arms were bound around her back, she was gagged, badly beaten and slung over the mans shoulder. The man threw George to the floor and the talking man slapped her face in an attempt to bring her around, her green eyes half opened as did her mouth, blood dribbled out from it as she attempted to talk.

"George! What have you done to her?!"

"Nothing yet, Mr. Rider. Hey, where's the other girl?"

The silent man left for a moment again. This time, angry screams exploded.

"You son of a bitch!" Alex heard. "Oh, just you wait, I'm going to kill you!" It was unmistakably Camryn. Then Alex heard a man howl in pain. The next thing he saw was a blur of glossy chestnut brown. There was a gasp followed by a cry of pain. Then Camryn faced the camera.

"Ignore this, Alex," she said. "I'll find a way to get George back to London – I promise." The man who had spoken lunged at Camryn, tackling her and punching her in the side of the head.

"Camryn!" Alex shouted.

The man stood up, dragging Camryn up with him. A large bruise was forming

on her temple and her lip was bleeding.

"If you call MI6, I will kill both of them. Starting with this bitch," the man said, shaking Camryn. "We will have a representative pick you up from your house in a week. Be ready to face the wrath of Scorpia. It's either you or these bitches." Then the monitor shut off again.


End file.
